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A BOOK 



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MASSACHUSETTS CHILDREN 



IN 



imilm f ^tfm fr0m a M^tx. 



FOR THE USE OF FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS, 



^ BY 

H. HILDKETH 



REVISED AND ENLARGED EDITION. 



^ 



BOSTON: 
JOHN P. JEWETT A N 13 COMPANY 

1857. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856, by 

JOHN P. JEWETT AND COMPANY, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts 



LITIIOTYPED KY THE AMERICAN STEREOTYPE COiMTANY^ 
rilCENIX BUILDING, BOSTON. 






% 



CONTENTS 



LETTER PAGE 

I. Introductory . . • • • -7 

II. What the State or Commonwealth is — Its inhabitants . 9 

III. The To^^^ls and Cities . . . . • -10 

IV. Extent of Massachusetts — Boundaries — Use of the Map 12 
Y. The Counties . . . . • • • ^-^ 

VI. The Seacoast . . . . • .15 

VII. Islands 18 

VIII. Face of the Country — Mountains .... 21 

IX. Rivers . . . . . . • -24 

X. Different kinds of land ..... 28 

XI. Forest trees and fruit trees . . . . .32 

XII. Size, shape, and situation of the Counties ... 35 

XIII. Court-houses, Jails, and Courts . . . .36 

XIV. Farming towns — Seaports — Commerce and Navigation . 39 
XV. The Cod and Mackerel Fisheries — The ^Vliale Fishery . 44 

XVI, Manufacturing towns — Various employments . . 47 

XVII. Alms-houses — Schools — Churches . . • .50 

XVIII. To^-n Meetings ...... 53 

XIX. County of Essex. — Cities of Ncwburyport, Salem and LjTin — 
Ipswich — Nahant 
XX. " Vicinity of Salem — Towns on Cape Ann 

— Haverhill — City of La^n-ence 
XXI. " Andover — Academy and Theological Sem- 

inary ..... 

XXII. County of Middlesex. — City of Charlestown 

XXIII. " City of Cambridge — Somerville . 

XXIV. " Other towns in Middlesex County — 

City of Lowell . ... 

(Ill) 



56 

60 

63 
65 
69 



IV 



CONTEXTS. 



LETTER 

XXV. 

XXVI. 

XXVII. 

XXVIII. 

XXIX. 

XXX. 

XXXI. 

XXXII. 

XXXIII. 

XXXIV. 

XXXV. 

XXXVI. 

XXXVII. 

XXXVIII. 

XXXIX. 

XL. 

XLI. 

XLII. 
XLIII. 
XLIV. 

XLV. 
XL VI. 



XL VII. 

XL VIII. 

XLLX. 



Suffolk County. — Chelsea — City of Boston — Bridges — 
Gas-lights . . . . 

" The streets — The Common and Public 

Garden — The Aqueduct . 
" Markets — Hospitals — Custom House — 

Harbors and Wharves . 
" State House — General Court — How 

Laws are made 
Schools — Libraries — ]\Iuseum 
" Other remarkable things in Boston . 

Eailroads in Massachusetts .... 

Norfolk County. — City of Roxbury and other towns . 
Plymouth County. — Plymouth and other towns . 
Barnstable County. — Barnstable — Provincetown — Sand- 
^\•ich ....... 

Bristol County. — Cities of Taunton, Fall l\iver, and New 
Bedford — Other towns .... 

Eastern and Western Counties — Worcester County — City 
of Worcester — Other towns .... 

Franklin County. — Greenfield and other towns 
Hampshire County. — Northampton and other towns 
Hampden County. — City of Springfield and other towns 
Berkshire County. — Lenox, Pittsfield, and other tOT\Tis 
Our travels over the State — How difi^crcnt it was before the 
white people came ..... 

TIic Indians who used to live in Massachusetts 

Wild animals that used to be here 

Other wild animals ...... 

Indian wars — Settlement of white people in Massachusetts 
Intercourse between the Avhite people and the Indians — 
Wars — The Indians destroyed or driven away — Col- 
ored people in Massachusetts 
;Morc about the Indians ..... 

Conclusion — Advice ..... 

Population of Towns ..... 



81 

8.5 

91 

94 

99 

103 

108 

110 

11.3 

116 

119 
12.5 
127 
128 
131 

133 
135 
138 
140 
144 



147 
150 
152 
156 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



The following little work, especially designed for the cliildren 
of our Massachusetts primary schools, who are just beginning to 
read, first appeared near thirty years ago. It was, perhaps, the 
first American work of the sort ; and, though it has had many 
imitators and rivals, there is room for doubt whether any of these 
surpass, or even equal it, in the object at which it aims. That 
object is, to provide for the children of Massachusetts a book, 
the style of which is suited to their apprehensions and tastes, at 
the same time that it contains a great deal of useful information, 
and incidentally answers a great number of questions which intelli- 
gent children are constantly in the habit of asking about things 
which they see and hear of That the book is perfectly compre- 
hensible by children, and that they read and study it with interest 
and pleasure, many teachers and parents who have used it can 
testify. At the same time it contains an account of Massachusetts, 
so full and instructive, that even parents and teachers may often 
consult it with advantage. After having been for some time out 
of print, a new and revised edition is now brought out, with many 
alterations and additions, so as to give a description of the State 
precisely as it now is. The book, thus revised and altered, is 

(V) 



VI ADVERTISEMENT. 

respectfully dedicated and especially recommended to the teachers 
and pupils of the primary schools of Massachusetts ; though chil- 
dren also of other States, especially those of Massachusetts origin, 
or who live in the adjoining States, may use it with pleasure and 
advantage. 

Boston, August 25, 1856. 



LETTERS ON MASSACHUSETTS. 



LETTER I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

Dear Child, — As you are now able to read pretty 
well in plain reading, I propose to write a number of 
letters to you, concerning the Commonwealth of Mas- 
sachusetts. In these letters I shall tell you a great many 
things which you will be very glad to know ; and I have 
no doubt you will read my letters with great pleasure. 

I have long thought that the children of Massachusetts 
ought to be the best children in the world, because they 
live in this good land, and have so many advantages ; and 
I trust you will be satisfied, by reading my letters, that I 
have thought right. 

You have already been instructed concerning your 
duty, and can tell what conduct is proper almost a? 
well as I can. You know, as well as any body, that 
the right Avay to be happy is to be good. You know, 
too, that those children ought to behave best who have 
the best means of knowing what their duty is. Now. 

(7) 



8 LETTER I. 

there are few children io the world who are so happily 
situated as the children of Massachusetts, — very few 
who have so much good instruction as they have. I 
hope, therefore, that you will be thankful to God for the 
many and great blessings which "he has given you, and 
that you will always behave yourself in such a manner 
as to give your parents and friends great pleasure. 

I shall take pains to make my letters pleasing and 
useful to children ; and, as children do not like to read 
long letters, I shall write short ones, so that no child will 
have need to leave off in the middle of a letter because 
he is tired. But before I write again, I wish you to 
learn (if you have not already learned) to count a hun- 
dred. I wish you also to get some kind person to show 
you the length of an inch, of a foot, of a yard, of a rod. 
And I should be glad if the same kind person would 
endeavor to teach you concerning the length of a mile. 
Before I write again you must learn to answer the fol- 
lowing questions. With very little assistance you may 
learn to answer them in a short time perfectly well. 

An Affectionate Father. 

AVliat town or city (Jo you live in ? Wliich way is north ? Which way 
is south ? "Which way is east ? Which way is west ? "Wliich way is north- 
west ? southeast ? southwest ? northeast ? IIow many inches in a foot ? 
How many feet in a yard ? IIow many yards in a rod ? lIow many 
rods in a mile ? "What phue, house, or other object, is a mile from the 
place where you are ? 



LETTER II. 

WHAT THE STATE OR COMMONWEALTH IS. — ITS INHABITANTS. 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the same as 
the State of Massachusetts. A State, or Commonwealth, 
is the name given to a great many people living under 
the same government; that is, having the same rulers 
and obeying the same laws. Perhaps you do not under- 
stand this very well now, but, as you grow older, you 
will understand it better. The name of State is also 
given to the land or territory on which these people live. 
When we speak of the State of Massachusetts, we some- 
times mean the people of Massachusetts, and sometimes 
the land of Massachusetts. By thinking a little, you can 
easily tell which is meant. 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts contains much 
land, and a great many people. You know a hundred is 
a pretty large number, and a thousand is ten hundred. 
Now there are more than eleven hundred thousand people 
in Massachusetts. If you had twenty barrels full of cents, 
you would not have as many cents as there are men, 
women, and children in this Commonwealth. The men, 
women, and children, that belong to Massachusetts, are 
called the inhabitants or population of Massachusetts. 

How many people in Massachusetts ? Who arc the inliabitants of Mas- 
sachusetts ? 

(9) 



LETTER III. 



TOWNS AND CITIES. 



The land or territory of Massachusetts is divided into 
towns. Every inhabitant of Massachusetts belongs to 
some one or other of these towns. A town is very 
much like a little State or Commonwealth. It not only 
has land and inhabitants, but also rulers or officers of 
its own, chosen by the inhabitants. Some of the largest 
towns are also cities. The cities differ from the other 
towns only in their size, and in the kind of officers 
which they have. I shall tell you about the officers 
of the towns and cities in another letter. 

You will see, from what I have said about cities, that 
the towns are not all of the same size. Some have much 
more land than others, and some have many more inhab- 
itants than others. In some towns the houses touch each 
other, and the inhabitants are very numerous ; in others 
the houses are few and scattered, and there are not near 
so many inhabitants. When \ve say a town is large or 
small, w^e commonly speak of the number of inhabitants 
in it. Some towns in Massachusetts do not contain more 
than three or four hundred inhabitants, but the greater 
part contain over a thousand. Some contain two thou- 
sand ; others three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or 

(10) 



LETTER III. 11 

ten thousand. Every town that contains twelve thousand 
inhabitants has the right to become a city ; but some of 
the cities contain a great many more than twelve thou- 
sand. Boston has more than twelve times as many. 
There are in Massachusetts fourteen cities and more than 
three hundred towns. The number of cities and towns 
does not always remain the same. New cities are made 
out of the large towns, and new towns are made by 
dividing the old ones. "Where a number of houses are 
built near each other, it is called a village. Every town 
has one village, and some towns have several. There are 
generally in every village one or more meeting-houses 
and school-houses, and a number of stores and shops ; 
but some of these villages are much larger and hand- 
somer than others. 

I intend to give you, before I finish my letters, a par- 
ticular account of the cities of Massachusetts, and of the 
principal towns and villages. Indeed, I shall take much 
pains to make you well acquainted with the Common- 
wealth. I hope, therefore, you will not fail to study 
very carefully all the questions you may find at the ends 
of my letters, till you can answer them with ease and 
propriety. 

How many towns in the Commonwealth ? How many cities 1 What is a 
city 1 How many inhabitants in some of the smallest towns ? How many 
in others ? What town or city lies north of the town you are in ? Wliat 
town or city lies south ? What east ? What west ? How many inhabitants 
must a town luivc to be made into a city ? 



LETTER IV. 

EXTENT OF MASSACHUSETTS. — BOUNDARIES. — USE OF THE 

MAP. 

Although the towns and cities in Massachusetts arc 
of different extent, yet all of them have considerable 
land. The one in which you are now living has a good 
deal of land in it. It is a considerable distance from one 
end of it to the other. Your mother, or sister, or some 
other kind friend, can tell you of a person who lives a 
good way from your house, and yet lives in the same 
town with you. It would take you a long time to walk 
from one end to the other of it. 

Now I have said there are more than three hundred 
towns in Massachusetts, besides the cities. Masachusetts, 
therefore, must contain a very large quantity of land : 
and I suppose you would be glad to know how large 
it is. Massachusetts is about one hundred and thirty 
miles long from east to west, and about fifty miles wide 
from south to north. From the most eastern to the most 
western part of the State, it is nearly two hundred miles ; 
and from its most southern to its most northern part, 
more than a hundred miles. I have got a picture of 
Massachusetts drawn on purpose for you to look at. 
This picture is called a map, and you can see what the 

(12) 



LETTER IV. 13 

shape of Massachusetts is. You can see that its shape 
is very irregular, and that the eastern part is much the 
broadest. This part is about ninety miles broad. When 
you look at the map, you must be careful to turn your 
face toward the north, and hold the map so that the 
words Vermont^ New Hampshire^ may be toward the 
north also; then the top of the map will be north, the 
bottom south, the right hand east, the left hand west. 
With the aid of the map you will easily learn that Ver- 
mont and New Hampshire touch, or bound, Massachu- 
setts on the north side ; that Connecticut, Rhode Island, 
and the sea, bound it on the south side; that the sea 
bounds it on the east side ; and, that New York bounds 
it on the west side. Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode 
Island, Connecticut, and New York are States. So you 
see there are other States besides Massachusetts. There 
are indeed many others, but I cannot speak of them at 
present. 

How long is Massachusetts ? How wide ? What part of the map is north ? 
What part south "? What part is east ? What part west ? What States touch 
Massachusetts on the north side of it 1 What on the south side ? What 
bounds it on the east side ? What State lies on the west side ? 
2 



LETTER y. 

THE COUNTIES. 

If you have studied the map with proper attention, 
you are now quite able to answer all the questions at 
the end of my last latter ; and are ready to go on and 
prepare for answering other questions. 

I suppose you understand pretty well what is meant 
by towns and cities ; but you have often heard persons 
speak of counties. A county is made up of a number of 
towns. The particular reasons why the Commonwealth 
is divided into counties will be given in another letter. 
In Massachusetts there are fourteen counties. If you 
attend to the map you will see how they are situated. 
They are painted of different colors so that you can easily 
distinguish them. The most western county is Berk- 
shire, the most eastern is Barnstable, the most northern 
is Essex, the most southern is Nantucket. The county 
of Worcester is near the centre of the State. The names 
of the counties, beginning at the most eastern, are as 
follows : Barnstable, Nantucket, Duke's, Plymouth, Bris- 
tol, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Middlesex, Worcester, Hamp- 
den, Hampshire, Franklin, Berkshire. 

What county do you live in ? How many counties in Massachusetts ? 
AVhat are their names 1 Which county is the most eastern ? Which the 
most western 1 Which the most northern ? Which the most southern ? 
"Which counties are surrounded by water? What is an island? 

(14) 



LETTER VI 



THE SEACOAST. 



The sea which touches Massachusetts on a part of the 
south side, and washes all the east side, is called the 
Atlantic Ocean. It is a great many times larger than 
Massachusetts. It is three thousand miles broad. The 
country on the other side of it is called Europe. 

That part of a country which is touched by the sea is 
called the seacoast. By looking at the map, you will see 
how crooked and irregular the seacoast of Massachusetts 
is. 

On many parts of the seashore are high rocks, against 
which the waves break with great fury, especially in 
storms. In other places are high beaches of sand. The 
waves roll up very beautifully on these, and curling over 
break in white foam. 

In order to understand what I am going to tell you 
about the seacoast, you must find on the map the names 
of all the places I shall mention. 

A point of land running out into the sea is called a 
Cape. Massachusetts has three Capes. The most north- 
erly is Cape Ann. This Cape is high and rocky, and has 
an abundance of granite. . Cape Ann is in the county of 
Essex. 

(15) 



16 LETTER VI. 

Southeast from Cape Ann, across the water, is Cape 
Cod. This Cape is very large and long. The whole of 
Barnstable county is situated upon it. It is in general 
low and sandy, and part of it is so barren that it pro- 
duces little else but pine shrubs. The sand being loose 
is blown about by the wind, and the pine shrubs are 
sometimes killed by being buried in it. On Cape Cod, 
however, there are many farms, and smaller tracts made 
quite productive by cultivation. The people who live on 
Cape Cod arc a very honest, good sort of people, and get 
a living mostly by fishing, and by other business con- 
nected with the sea. 

The water between Cape Ann and Cape Cod is called 
Massachusetts Bay ; and the southerly part of Massachu- 
setts Bay is called Cape Cod Bay. A Bay is a portion 
of the sea partly surrounded by land. There is a narrow 
piece of land which runs south from the south shore of 
Cape Cod, and which is called Cape Malabar. On or near 
the ends of these Capes there are light-houses. A light- 
house is a high round tower, built of wood, brick, or 
stone. The top of it is like a great lantern. It Ijas glass 
windows all round, and in the middle there are several 
large lamps. These lamps are lighted every night that 
the sailors may see them, and not run their vessels on 
the shore in the dark. There are many light-houses in 
Massachusetts. There is one at the entrance of almost 
every harbor. A harbor is a part of the sea, partly sur- 
rounded by land, where vessels can lay at anchor, pro- 
tected from storms and winds. In stormy weather vessels 
cannot anchor, except in some harbor, as otherwise the 



LETTER VI. 17 

violence of the waves would dash them on shore. Wher- 
ever there is a harbor, a town or village is generally 
found. 

Buzzard's Bay is a long, narrow piece of water, which 
runs up between Barnstable county and Bristol and Ply- 
mouth counties. It is about thirty miles long and seven 
miles wide. It is in the most southerly part of Massachu- 
setts, as you will see by looking on the map. 

In my next letter I will tell you about the islands of 
Massachusetts. But, before I write again, you must be 
able to answer all the questions I am going to ask. 

What is a Cape ? How many Capes has Massachusetts ? What are their 
names ? Which of them is the most northerly ? Which is the most south- 
erly ? What is a Bay 1 Between what Capes is Massachusetts Bay ? Where 
is Cape Cod Bay 1 Where is Buzzard's Bay ? What is a Harbor '^ 

2* 



LETTER VII. 

ISLANDS. 

An island, you know, is a piece of land surrounded 
by water. Along the coast of Massachusetts are many 
islands. The principal islands of Massachusetts are Nan- 
tucket, Martha's Vineyard, the Elizabeth Islands, and 
Plum Island. 

Nantucket is a county of itself. It is about twenty 
miles from the main land, and is fifteen miles long, and 
eleven broad in the widest place. The county of Nan- 
tucket has only one town, and this is also called Nan- 
tucket. The island, county, and town all have the same 
name. The land is generally sandy and poor, but in some 
spots it is quite good. There are no trees on the island, 
except a few which have been set out for ornament. The 
climate of the island is milder than that of the neighboring 
continent. Continent means the main land. The people 
who live on the island use the land principally for pas- 
ture ; but they do not attend much to farming. They 
are almost all seamen. They carry on the whale fishery, 
which I shall describe to you in one of my other letters. 

They make a great many spermaceti candles at Nan- 
tucket. Spermaceti candles are very white and hard, and 
burn with a bright light ; they are made of the brains of 

(18) 



LETTER VII. 19 

the spermaceti whale. Nantucket is one hundred miles 
southeast from Boston. It communicates every day with 
the main land by means of a steamboat. 

Martha's Vineyard, the Elizabeth Islands, and two other 
small islands, called Chippaquiddick and Neman's land, 
make up Duke's county. Chippaquiddick hes east of 
Martha's Vineyard, and is separated from it by a narrow 
channel. Neman's land is near the southwest corner of 
the Vineyard. Duke's county has three towns, Edgar- 
town, Tisbury, and Chilmark ; but neither of them is 
large. The whole county contains less than five thou- 
sand inhabitants. Martha's Vineyard is about nineteen 
miles long, and in the broadest place ten miles wide. 
The land of this island is mostly low and level, some of it 
is fertile, but the greater part is poor. The trees on the 
island are small. On the north side of Martha's Vineyard, 
in the town of Tisbury, is a fine harbor called Holmes' 
HoL?. A great many vessels come into Holmes' Hole, 
to wait there for a fair wind to pass Cape Cod. 

The Elizabeth Islands are northwest of Martha's Vine- 
yard. You can find them on the map. There are about 
sixteen of them, but they are all small. I would tell you 
their names, but they are so hard I am afraid you would 
not remember them. 

Plum Island is in the north part of the State. It be- 
longs to Essex county. It is eleven miles long, and one 
broad. On the side toward the land there is some salt 
marsh ; but the rest of the island, except at the south 
end, is little else but heaps of sand. These heaps of sand 
are covered with bushes, which bear a sort of plum called 



20 LETTER VII. 

the beach plum. When these plums are ripe, many 
people go to the island to gather them. Plum Island 
is joined to the land by a bridge. There is a tavern 
on it; and at the south end, where the land is pretty 
good, a house or two. On the north end are two light- 
houses. 

Besides the islands which I have mentioned, there are 
a great many other small islands scattered along the 
coast of Massachusetts. Of the islands in Boston harbor 
I shall speali: in another letter. 

How large is the island of Nantucket ? What is said of it ? What is the 
business of tlie inliabitants 1 How many towns in Duke's county 1 What 
is said of Martha's Vineyard ? 'NMiat is said of Holmes' Hole ? Where are 
the Elizabeth Islands ? How many are there ? Are they large or small ? 
How many people in Duke's county ? What is said of Plum Island ? 



LETTER VIII. 

FACE OF THE COUNTRY. — MOUNTAINS. 

The eastern part of Massachusetts, where it comes 
near the sea, is generally pretty smooth and level. The 
hills are not steep and sharp, but most of them round 
and swelling. This, however, is not the case with the 
Blue Hills in Milton, about ten miles south from Boston, 
which are the highest lands in this part of the State. 
They can be seen for more than thirty miles, and serve 
as a landmark to ships approaching Boston harbor. In 
the southeastern part of the State, the counties of Bris- 
tol, Plymouth, and Barnstable are flat. But Worcester 
county, and all the counties west of it, are hilly, and have 
some pretty high mountains. Berkshire county is more 
hilly than the rest, and has many mountains. 

I shall not mention all the mountains in Massachusetts, 
but I will tell you something about the most important 
ones. 

Wachusett mountain is in Princeton, in the county of 
Worcester, near the middle of the State. The top of it 
is more than a third of a mile up in the air. A mountain 
as high as that is considered a pretty high mountain. 
This mountain can be plainly seen from the tops of 
the hills about Boston, which is fifty miles distant. 

(21) 



22 LETTER VIII. 

From the top of it you can see over nearly the whole 
State. Around the bottom of Wachusett, and some way 
up the sides of it, the land is good pasturage, and the 
trees, where they have not been cut off, are large. But, 
as you go up the mountain, the trees become smaller and 
smaller, till they dwindle into small shrubs or bushes. 
The top of the mountain is a ledge of rocks. 

Trees become smaller and smaller as you go up a 
mountain, because the air becomes colder and colder. 
The higher a mountain is, the colder it is on the top of 
it ; and some mountains are so high that the snow re- 
mains on their tops all the summer. But there are no 
such mountains in Massachusetts. Wachusett is the 
highest of an irregular chain of hills that extends through 
Worcester county, north and south. 

Mount Holyoke and Mount Tom are in the county of 
Hampshire. Mount Holyoke is in Hadley, on the east 
side of Connecticut river, five miles distant from Mount 
Tom, which is in Northampton, on the west side of the 
river. Mount Tom is the highest, but neither of them is 
half as high as Wachusett. They are both long ridges, 
with a number of steep humps, extending back from the 
Connecticut, which seems to cut them in two. They 
have trees growing upon them all the way up to their 
tops. From the top of Mount Holyoke is a delightful 
prospect. One can see a great way up and down Con- 
necticut river. The rich meadows, and green woods, and 
pleasant towns, afford a very beautiful sight. There is a 
road to the top of Mount Holyoke, and a great many 
people go up to enjoy the prospect. Mount Toby is in 



LETTER VIII. 23 

Franklin county, in the towns of Sunderland and Lever- 
ett ; it is about as high as Mount Holyoke. 

The most mountainous part of the State is the western 
part. Berkshire county, in this part of the State, is 
crossed north and south by a double chain of mountains, 
between which is a valley through which flows the Hous- 
atonic river. These Berkshire mountains are a part of 
the Green mountain chain of Vermont. The most west- 
ern of the two Berkshire chains runs along the boundary 
between Massachusetts and New York, and is sometimes 
called the Taconic or Tughkanic mountains. The highest 
summit of these Berkshire mountains, and the highest in 
Massachusetts, is Saddle mountain, in the town of Adams, 
in the northwest corner of the State. It has two peaks 
or high points, and is shaped hke a saddle. It is consid- 
erably more than half a mile high. There is another 
mountain half a mile high in the southwest corner of the 
State, in the town of Mount Washington. It is called 
Bald mountain, and sometimes Mount Washington, and 
is the highest of the Taconic mountains. The prospect 
from the top of this mountain is very fine. Near by is 
Bashpish fall, formed by a stream of water rushing down 
through a deep chasm in the rocks. It is one of the most 
remarkable sights in Massachusetts, and I should like 
very much to have you see it. 

What is said concerning the eastern part of the State ? Concerning the 
counties of Bristol, Plymouth, and Barnstable '? Concerning the western 
counties 1 Concerning Berkshire 1 How high is Wachusett, and what is 
said of it ? Wliat is said of Mount Holyoke 1 Mount Tom ? Mount Toby ? 
Of the Berkshire mountains 1 Which is the highest land in Massachusetts ? 
What mountain in the southwest corner of the State ? Wliat remarkable 
sight near it ? 



LETTER IX, 

RIVERS. 

Before I tell you about the rivers of Massachusetts, 
I suppose you would be glad to know where the water 
in the rivers comes from. When it rains, the waters run 
down the hills and mountains, and make little brooks. 
Very often these little brooks run into hollow places 
between hills, and make ponds or lakes. A pond is a 
small lake. There are a great many ponds in Massachu- 
setts, but none very large. From most of these ponds 
the water runs out and makes a brook or small river. 
Sometimes a great many brooks run together and make a 
river. Many small rivers running into the same river 
make a great river. Great rivers generally run into the 
sea, and grow wider and deeper, by having more rivers 
run into them, till they reach the sea. The place where 
a river runs into another river, or into the sea, is called 
the mouth of the river. The other end is called the head 
of the river. The rivers which run into another river are 
called its branches. The mouths of large rivers are gen- 
erally wide, and the water so deep that ships can sail up 
a number of miles. 

There are two largo rivers in Massachusetts, the Con- 
necticut and the Merrimack ; but the Connecticut is 

(24) 



LETTER IX. 25 

much larger than the Merrimack. Neither of these 
rivers begins in Massachusetts. The head of the Con- 
necticut is in the northern part of New Hampshire, a 
State which, you remember, lies on the north side of 
Massachusetts. The Connecticut runs nearly two hun- 
dred miles between New Hampshire and Vermont, before 
it comes into Massachusetts. You will see, by the map, 
that it runs through the western part of Massachusetts. 
It comes first into Franklin county. When it enters the 
State it is a large and beautiful river about eighty rods 
wide. After running through Massachusetts, it passes 
into the State of Connecticut, and, running about eighty 
miles farther, it reaches the sea. You may see by the 
map that it runs to the south ; but there are a great 
many crooks and bends in it, as there are in all rivers. 
The whole length of the Connecticut is about four 
hundred miles, but only a small part of this is in 
Massachusetts. Much of the land on the banks of this 
river is very rich, and many of the towns are very 
pleasant and flourishing. As the Connecticut runs along 
through Massachusetts, several rivers run into it. In 
Franklin county, Deerfield river runs into it from the 
west, and Miller's river from the east. In Hampden 
county, Westfield river runs into it from the west, and 
the Chicopee river from the east. You will find these 
rivers on the map. Many other rivers run into the Con- 
necticut besides those I have mentioned. 

The other large river in Massachusetts is the Merri- 
mack. This river likewise begins in New Hampshire 
among the White mountains. It first comes into Middle- 



2G LETTER IX. 

sex county, and then runs along through Essex countj; 
till it reaches the sea. Soon after the Merrimack comes 
into Massachusetts, it turns and runs northeast. It is a 
fine wide river, but its mouth is narrow and is very much 
barred with sand. The mouth of a river is said to be 
barred with sand, when a ridge of sand lies across it, and 
comes so near the top of the water as to make it difficult 
for vessels to pass over. Only vessels of middling size 
can enter the Merrimack. In stormy weather it is some- 
times difficult for vessels to get in the Merrimack at all, 
but when they have entered it they can sail up eighteen 
or twenty miles. Nashua river and Concord river run 
into the Merrimack. 

There are many other rivers in Massachusetts, but I 
will mention only three more. Charles river, which runs 
into Massachusetts Bay ; Taunton river in Bristol county, 
which runs south into a bay called Narragansett Bay ; 
and the Housatonic in Berkshire county, which runs 
south through the State of Connecticut into the sea. 
This is a fine river, and has much rich land on its banks. 
All these rivers you will find on the map, with a number 
of others besides. Long flat boats used to pass up and 
down the Connecticut and the Merrimack to a great dis- 
tance on the — Connecticut nearly three hundred miles ; 
but, since the railroads were built, these boats are little 
used. Large rafts of timber are, however, still floated 
down these rivers. 

I shall now tell you of a way in which the rivers of 
Massachusetts, both the large and the small ones, are of 
the greatest use and importance. As Massachusetts is 



LETTER IX. 27 

generally very hilly, there are in all these rivers a num- 
ber of water-falls. The water rushes over these falls 
with great force, and can be made to turn water-wheels, 
so as to give motion to mills and machinery. The falls 
on the mill-streams are made to carry saw-mills and grist- 
mills, to saw logs into boards, and to grind grain into 
meal. The water-falls on the larger rivers are employed 
to turn the great water-wheels which give motion to 
the machinery of cotton, woollen, iron, and other large 
factories. In this way the water-falls of Massachusetts 
are made to do an immense deal of work. All the great 
manufacturing towns are situated at the falls of the 
rivers. The higher the falls, and the larger the river, 
the more work they can be made to do. This is what is 
called water-power. 

What do great rivers run into ? "Wliat is the lower end of a river called ? 
Wliat is the upper end called ? Wliat two large rivers in JMassachusetts ? 
Which is the largest 1 Wliere is the head of Connecticut river 1 What part 
of Massachusetts does it pass through 1 How wide is it 1 How long is it 1 
What two rivers in Franklin county run into it ? Wliat two in Hampden 
county 1 Where does the Merrimack begin ? What counties docs it run 
through 1 Wliich way does it run after it comes into Massachusetts 1 Into 
what do Nashua and Concord rivers run ? Into what does Charles river run 1 
Into what does Taunton river ran ? Where is the Housatonic ? To what use 
are the water-falls put ? 



LETTER X. 

DIFFERENT KINDS OF LAND. 

^ 1 SUPPOSE you would like to know sometliing about the 
different kinds of land in Massachusetts. Some land is 
very rich, and bears a great deal of hay, corn, potatoes, 
or whatever the owner plants or sows ; and some land 
is so poor it will bear scarcely anything. That part of 
Massachusetts which is near the sea, I have already told 
you, is in general pretty level and smooth. In some 
places, however, as on Cape Ann, the seacoast is very 
rough and rocky. Much of the land near the sea is good 
for grass and grain, but a good deal of it is very sandy. 
Sandy land is generally poor. 

Along the seashore there is a sort of land called salt 
marsh. A great many acres of it often lie together ; it is 
perfectly flat and smooth, and is so low that the salt 
water often flows over it. This land is never ploughed, 
but it bears a great deal of grass, which the farmers mow 
down and make into hay. The grass is so often wet by 
the salt water that the hay made of it has a salt taste. 

A considerable distance back from the sea the country 
is rougher, but the land is generally more fertile than the 
land nearer the sea. When land lies in large round swells, 
as they are called, the tops and sides of the swells are 

(28) 



LETTEB X. ^ 

commonly warm and good land: tt^a^^ ihe land m ihe 
valleys between is often cold and poor. But when a 
considerable river mns througb a rallev, the land on one 
or both sides of it is often of the very best kind. This 
land is called interval or meadow, and there is a good 
deal of it on the banks of rivers in Massachusetts. 
Nearly all the rivers have more or less of it. On the 
banks of the Connecticut there are many thousands of 
acres. It bears a great deal of grass and grain, and is 
very easy to plough and hoe. There is not a stone in it. 
It is a delightful sight to see many acres of this meadow 
lying together. It is level and smooth, and in the simi- 
mer is covered with grass and com, and other growth, 
while here and there stands a great ehn or other beauti- 
ful tree, in the field or beside the river. In the earljr 
spring it is sometimes almost covered over by the high 
water of the river, and appears Kke a great lake. 

There is another kind of meadow very different from 
this interval land. It is found upon brooks and in low 
places, and bears an inferior kind of grass, but is so moist 
that it is seldom jdoughed. 

There is another kind of land still different, which is 
sometimes called meadow, but which is properly called 
swamp. It is very wet and muddy, and bears very coarse, 
poor grass. This land, however, may be made very good 
by digging ditches in it and letting the water drain out. 
It will then bear good grass. 

In many wet and low places there is a very curious 
sort of meadow, called peat meadow. The grass that 
grows on it is not worth much, but the soil of the mea- 

3* 



30 LETTER X. 

dow is a sort of substance called peat, which, when dried, 
is good to burn. It is cut up in small pieces, and placed 
in the sun to dry. It is black, and appears to be a great 
many small roots twisted together, the spaces between 
them being filled up with black earth. When it is dry 
it burns very well. In many places a great deal of it is 
used for fuel. Some of these meadows produce a great 
many cranberries. 

The hills are often so steep and rocky that they can- 
not be ploughed. But they bear a great deal of fine, 
short, sweet grass, which makes very good food for 
sheep and cows. This kind of land is called pasture 
land. Land that is ploughed is called tillage land. But 
in some places the hills are very steep, and so rocky that 
the land is not fit even for pasture. However, they often 
bear a great deal of wood and timber. Many of the rough 
and swampy pastures, which are good for little else, pro- 
duce a great many berries of various kinds, such as 
raspberries, blackberries, and whortleberries. 

There are all sorts of land, from very good to very 
poor, in Massachusetts ; but there is little so poor that 
it cannot be made good by working upon it. It is 
true, where the land is poor or rocky the people have 
to work hard for a living. But I have observed, and 
you, if you live to grow up, may observe the same, 
that those who are obliged to work hard for a living 
are commonly much better, as well as much happier, 
than those who live without WTorking at all. Idleness, 
vice, and unhappiness, are very apt to be together. 
Idle children, you know, are always in mischief; and 



LETTER X. 

when they have done mischief they are often punished, 
and then they are unhappy. But children that love to 
be doing what is right and useful, are commonly very 
happy. 

Wliat sort of land is near the sea ? What is said of salt marshes ? What 
is said of sandy land 1 What sort of land is found on large swells ? What 
sort in the valleys 1 "What if a river runs through a valley 1 On what river 
is there much rich meadow ? How may swampy land be made good ? What 
is peat good for? What are the hills that cannot be ploughed good fori 
What grows on the steepest and rockiest hills 1 



LETTER XI. 

FOREST TREES AND FRUIT TREES. 

In this letter I will tell you something about the 
diflferent kinds of trees that grow in Massachusetts, 
and what use is made of them. There are a great 
many kinds of trees, but I shall mention only a few of 
the most useful. The best kind of timber is the oak. 
The oak is a stout, thick tree, with dark green leaves. 
It bears nuts called acorns. There are several kinds of 
oak, as white oak, red oak, yellow oak, and some others ; 
but the white oak is much the most valuable. It is very 
tough and strong, and is used in building ships, and for 
other purposes for which very strong timber is wanted. 
Oak wood is easily split into thin pieces, and great use 
is made of it by coopers in manufacturing hogsheads, 
barrels, and other vessels of like kind. It is excellent 
fuel ; and the bark of the oak is much used by tanners 
in making the nicest and best leather. Next to the oak 
the pine is the most useful. There is white pine and 
pitch pine. The white pine often grows very tall and 
straight, without a knot or a limb within forty or fifty 
feet of the ground. It is a beautiful tree, and is green 
all the year. It is used for the masts of ships. A great 
many pine trees are sawed into joistboards and planks, 

(32) 



LETTER XI. 33 

or split into clapboards and shingles, or liewn into beams, 
and used for building houses, and barns, and stores, and 
bridges. Pine wood is full of pitch or turpentine, and 
takes fire very easily. The pitch is a sort of gum which 
runs out of the tree. Tar and rosin are made of it. The 
pitch pine grows in poor, sandy soils. It is valuable for 
fuel. The chestnut tree bears a very good nut. The 
wood of this tree is often split into long straight pieces 
called rails, which farmers use in making fences. The 
walnut tree also bears a very good nut. The wood of 
this tree is the very best kind of fuel, and for many 
uses it is a valuable timber. It is used for axe-handles ; 
and, being very tough, it is easily bent into bows and 
hoops. The hemlock is a large tree which is green all 
the year round. Trees that are green all the year are 
called evergreens. The hemlock is not good fuel, though 
it is good timber for many usc3 ; a great deal of hemlock 
bark is used by tanners in making leatlior. 

There are several kinds of maple trees ; the rock maple, 
the red maple, and the white maple. The white maple 
commonly grows on low, swampy ground. The maple is 
good wood to burn, and cabinet-makers often use it for 
chairs, tables, and bedsteads. From the sap of the rock 
maple a most agreeable sugar is made. The best wood 
for tables is the wild cherry tree, which grows large, and 
can be sawed into fine wide boards. The elm is a beau- 
tiful tree, and is planted on the sides of streets, and 
before houses, for shade and ornament. The wood of 
the elm is very tough, and is much used for the hubs 
of carriage-wheels, and for other purposes. The ash tree 



34 LETTER XI. 

aflbrds a valuable timber for coaches, chaises, and other 
carriages. 

All the trees which I have been describing are called 
forest trees; but apple trees, plum trees, pear trees, 
peach trees, and others which are planted in gardens 
and orchards, are called fruit trees. These trees do not 
grow wild in the woods. They were brought over by 
the white people who first settled the country. Every 
good farmer in Massachusetts has an orchard of apple 
trees. In the month of May, when the apple tree 
blooms, the white blossoms covering all the trees make 
a beautiful appearance. It is also very pleasant in the 
autumn, when the fruit is ripe, to see the trees hanging 
full of apples. The best of the apples are gathered and 
carried to market, or put into barrels to be kept till 
^vinter. The women cut a great many apples into 
quarters, string them upon twine, and hang them up 
in the sun to dry. Dried apples are used for pies. 

What kind of oak is the best ? What is oak timber used for ? Oak bark ? 
What are the Uvo kinds of pine ? For -what is the white pine used ? What 
is pitch pine used for ? What is said of the cliestnut ? Of the walnut ? What 
kind of trees are called evergreens 1 For wliat is hemlock bark used '( On 
what kind of ground does the white maple grow ? What is maple timber 
used for? What is the wild cherry good for? What trees are called fruit 
trees ? 



LETTER XII. 



You see, by the map, that the counties in Massachu- 
setts differ very much from each other in size and shape. 
Barnstable county has a very curious shape. It looks 
somewhat like a man's arm crooked at the elbow, and it 
runs out a great way into the sea. Nantucket county 
is made up of Nantucket Island, and several other small 
islands near it. Duke's county is made up of the island 
called Martha's Vineyard, and of several other small 
islands. Suffolk county contains less land than any other 
county in the State. You might walk from one end of it 
to the other in a day or less. There are only four towns 
in it, but there are a great many people, and it is one 
of the principal counties in the State. The county which 
has the most land in it is Worcester county. I shall give 
you a particular account of the principal towns and cities 
in all the counties before I finish writing to you ; but I 
do not like to crowd your memory with too many things 
at once. I will, therefore, conclude this letter with a 
number of questions, which you must prepare yourself to 
answer by studying the map. 

Wliich three counties in Massachusetts have the least land ? "Which of these 
throe has the least land ? Which county in the State has the most land ? 

(35) 



LETTER XIII. 

COURT HOUSES, JAILS, AND COURTS. 

I SUPPOSE it took you some time to learn how to 
answer all the questions in my last letter ; but, as good 
children love to please their parents and teachers, and 
especially as they love to learn, I hope you did not feel 
disposed to complain of the number of questions. If, 
however, you find the questions at the end of any letter 
so many or so hard that you cannot conveniently answer 
them all at one lesson, you may answer a part of them, 
and leave the rest for another time. In this letter I shall 
tell you some other things about the counties, which I 
wish you to remember. 

The Commonwealth is divided into counties for conve- 
nience in holding courts. In every county there is at 
least one town or city, called the shire-town, having a 

In wliat part of the State does it lie ? How many counties are west of Wor- 
cester county 1 How many east ? How many south and east of Norfolk 1 
Name them. What counties extend across tlic State ? What counties lie 
between Worcester and Berkshire ? What counties touch Worcester county 
on the east ? What county touches IVIiddlescx on tlie southeast ? What on 
the cast? What on the northeast ? What counties touch Norfolk on the 
southeast side ? On which side of Plymouth county is the county *of Bristol ? 
What county touches Plymouth county on the southeast ? How many coun- 
ties in Massachusetts touch the sea 1 Which are they ? What is said of Barn- 
stable county ? What counties are islands ? 

(36) 



LETTER XIII. 37 

jciil, a house of correction, and a court house. A jail 
is a strong building, having a number of small rooms, in 
which persons who are supposed to be very wicked are 
confined. If a person is accused of some great crime 
against the law of the Commonwealth, then he is taken 
and locked up in jail. He is kept there till the judge 
comes to try him ; that is, to see whether he is guilty or 
not. The judge goes to the court house, and other per- 
sons go with him, and he holds what is called a court. 
Then the person locked up in jail is taken out, and 
brought to the court house to be tried by the judge, and 
twelve other persons called the jury, who have been 
selected beforehand from among the inhabitants of the 
county. If he is found to be guilty of the crime of which 
he is accused, then he is condemned to be punished. 
The most common punishment is to be sent to the State 
prison for a longer or shorter period, according to the 
nature of the crime of which a person is found guilty. 
Persons found guilty of murder, and of some other 
crimes, are hanged. 

The house of correction is for idle, drunken, quarrel- 
some, and disorderly persons. Such persons are taken 
to the house of correction and made to work. They are 
guarded in the daytime, and at night they are confined. 
Naughty boys who throw stones, break windows, fight, 
steal, or do other mischief, are sometimes carried to the 
house of correction. If you should ever conduct yourself 
in such a manner as to be taken and carried away and 
locked up in the house of correction, you would make all 
your friends very unhappy, and besides this you would 



38 LETTER XIII. 

be very unhappy yourself. My prayer is, that you may 
always remember and believe that there is no real happi- 
ness in being wicked. We always feel best when we 
feel that we have behaved best. Does it not make you 
very unhappy to feel that you have behaved badly ? 

Before I finish this letter, I must tell you some other 
things that the courts do. They settle all disputes that 
arise about money and such things ; and, if a man will not 
pay his debts, they send a person called a sheriff to take 
his property and sell it, and pay over the money to the 
person whom he owes. 

What is the town called in which tlie jail is ? What is the house of correc- 
tion for ? What is done at the court house ? "Wlien a person is found guilty, 
how is he punished ? What other tilings do the courts do ? 



LETTER XIV. 

FARMING TOWNS, SEAPORTS, COMMERCE, AND NAVIGATION. 

You have already learned that Massachusetts is divided 
into fourteen counties ; and I suppose, by studying the 
map, you have obtained a pretty good knowledge of the 
situation of each of them. I shall now go on to tell you 
a great many things about the towns and cities ; and I 
have no doubt you will be pleased with Avhat I shall say. 

The larger part of the towns of Massachusetts are di- 
vided into lots and farms, and most of the people who 
live in them are farmers. These towns arc called farm- 
ing towns. The farmers, you know, live by cultivating 
the ground. They raise grass, corn, rye, oats, wheat, 
and barley ; flax, potatoes, turnips, hops, broomcorn, 
pumpkins, apples, and many other things. They keep 
cows, oxen, horses, sheep, and hogs. They make butter 
and cheese, and raise hens, and geese, and turkeys. 
When they have more things than they want, they sell 
them and buy tea, coffee, sugar, clothing, and other 
things Avhich they cannot raise on their farms. 

A large part of the inhabitants of Massachusetts are 
farmers ; but there are many people who have no land, 
and so have to find some other way of getting a living. 

Cities or towns whicli are so situated that vessels can 

(09) 



40 LETTER XIV. 

sail to and from them, are called seaports. There is a 
considerable number of such seaports in Massachusetts. 
The people who live in the seaports are employed in a 
great variety of business ; but the most important busi- 
ness is connected with the sea. Many persons in these 
towns own vessels, and are engaged in loading them with 
various articles for the purpose of sending them to sea. 
These towns have wharves at which the vessels load and 
unload. A wharf is a place built out into deep water, 
sometiir.cs of stone and earth, and sometimes of planks 
fastened to trunks of trees called piles driven into the 
mud. The men who go in the vessels are called sailors, 
and the person who has the particular care of any vessel 
is called the master or captain. Vessels are sent to sea 
with their cargoes, or loads, in order that they may sail 
over the wide ocean to distant parts of the world. They 
have sails made of strong, coarse cloth ; and the wind 
blows them across the water. They are sent to a great 
many different countries. Their cargoes are sold, and 
the price laid out for other things to bring home. Among 
the articles brought from distant countries in vessels are 
sugar, tea, coffee, molasses ; silk, fine linen, cotton and 
woollen cloths, calicoes ; hemp, iron, crockery ware ; cin- 
namon, allspice, cloves, pepper, and a great many other 
things. Pepper is brought from a large island, ten thou- 
sand miles off. Tea is brought from a still greater dis- 
tance. Many kinds of fruit are likewise brought from 
distant countries in vessels ; such as lemons, oranges, 
figs, raisins, and pineapples. These fruits all grow in 
countries where the winter is not so cold as in Massachu- 



LETTER XIV. 41 

setts, or where there is no winter at all. But then we 
have apples, pears, peaches, and plums, which do not 
grow where lemons and oranges are found. 

The vessels that sail on the ocean arc of various sizes 
and kinds. Some have three masts, and are called ships : 
others have two masts, and are called brigs. But a great 
many vessels with two masts are called schooners. Ves- 
sels with one mast are called sloops. Besides these ves- 
sels, there is another very curious kind of vessel, which 
is carried along through the water by means of wheels 
set in motion by steam. This vessel is called a steamer. 
Steamers intended to sail on the ocean have masts and 
sails, like the one in the picture below. 

When the weather is fine and the water smooth, it is 
delightful to stand upon the seashore and see the vessels 
saihng by. But the weather is not always fine, nor is 
the sea always smooth. Sometimes the wind blows very 
hard, and the waves roll as high as the tallest tree. 
Sometimes the w^ind splits the sails of the vessels all to 
rags, and breaks off the masts, or turns the vessels over, 
so that they are filled with water and sink. And some- 
times the wind and waves drive the vessels upon rocks 
in the sea, or upon the shore, and dash them to pieces. 
Many poor sailors lose their lives by being at sea, when 
the wind blows hard. 

What is said of the farming towns ? What are seaports 1 What is the 
most important business in seaports ? What vessels arc called ships ? Brigs 
and schooners 1 Sloops ? Mention a number of articles that are l)rought 
from distant countries in vessels. 



42 



LETTER XIY. 



|lt,.|,'lli' 




4* 



LETTER XIV. 



43 




LETTER XV. 

THE COD AND MACKEREL FISHERIES. — THE WEALE FISHERY. 

A GREAT many people belonging to seaport towns get 
their living by fishing. The sea in some places is full of 
fishes, and there are a great many sorts, some large and 
some small. Some of these fishes, such as the alewive, a 
shiny flat fish about a foot long, come into the rivers in 
the spring, and are caught in great numbers in nets. 
Others never leave the sea. Among these is the halibut, 
a great flat fish that swims on its broad side, and has both 
its eyes close together on the top of its head. The hah- 
but is so large and strong that it often takes several men 
to pull it into the boat. It is taken with hook and line, 
and is excellent to eat. The herring is a little, bright, 
shining fish, which is caught in nets. But the fishes of 
which the greatest quantities are taken are the cod and 
the mackerel. The cod is a pretty large fish, commonly 
about a yard long, sometimes longer and sometimes 
shorter. The fishermen go after the cod in small vessels. 
They catch the cod with hooks and lines, sometimes hav- 
ing clams for bait and sometimes little fishes. The heads 
of the cod arc cut off, and the fishes split open and salted. 
They are brought home and spread in the sun to dry. 
Thus is made what we call salt fish, which you have often 

(44) 



LETTER XV. 45 

eaten for dinner. The mackerel, which is also caught 
with hook and line, is much smaller and much handsomer 
than the cod. It is about a foot long, and streaked with 
blue and white. The mackerel are not dried, but salted 
down in barrels or kegs. 

There is another fish called the whale, and he is the 
largest fish that swims in the sea. Indeed, he is the 
largest living creature known in the world : for there is 
no animal on the land so large as the whale. The whale 
is not good for food, but is taken for the sake of his oil. 
Under his skin is a thick layer of fat something like pork, 
and when it is cut off and tried over the fire a great deal 
of oil runs out of it. The men who catch the whales sail 
a great way off upon the ocean in large ships, and when 
they come where the whales live they see them playing 
upon the water. 

TVhen the men see a whale, they get out of their ship 
into their boats and row towards him. One man stands 
at the head of the boat, holding in his hand a sharp iron 
spear, called a harpoon ; and, when the boat comes close 
to the whale, the man throws the harpoon at him with all 
his might. The harpoon cuts very deep into the soft 
flesh of the whale, and hurts him very much ; so he dives 
down into the water to get away; but he is prevented by 
a long rope which is fastened at one end to the harpoon, 
and at the other end to the boat. The poor whale does 
not remain long under water ; for whales breathe, as well 
as men, and cannot live long without coming to the top 
of the water for air. But as soon as he comes to the top 
of the water they throw another harpoon at him, till at 



46 LETTER XV. 

length he dies and floats on the water. Then the men 
cut off the flesh which contains the oil. The best oil is 
called sperm oil, and is taken from the head of the sper- 
maceti whale. We burn this oil in lamps for lighting 
parlors and other rooms ; and a great deal of it is used 
in factories to oil the machinery and for other purposes. 
The oil obtained from the flesh of the whale is used in 
dressing leather, and by being clarified it is made good 
to burn. What is called whalebone is taken from the 
mouth of a particular kind of w^hale. It forms the gills 
of that whale. 

^Yhere are fishes caaght ? What is said of the halibut ? Of what sorts of 
fishes are the greatest quantities taken'? What is said of the size of the 
whale, and of the manner of taking him ? 



LETTER XVI. 

MAXUFACTUKINCr TOWNS. — VARIOUS EMPI OYMENTS. 

Besides farming towns and seaports, there is another 
very important class of towns and cities in Massachusetts 
known as manufacturing towns. To manufacture, means 
to make things with the hands, and the people in those 
towns are principally employed in making a great num- 
ber of things that can be sold to the farmers to buy pro- 
visions with, or be sent out of the State for that purpose. 
The larger part of the land of Massachusetts is not very 
good for raising wheat or corn. It is only good for hay 
and pasturage ; and almost all the flour, and a great part 
of the corn, that is used in Massachusetts, is brought from 
other States where wheat and corn grow better. In 
order to be able to buy these and other things that they 
want, the people of Massachusetts manufacture and sell 
to the people of other States a great number of useful 
articles. Among the principal things which they manu- 
facture are. cotton and Avoollen cloths. Cotton-wool 
grows in the Southern States, on a sort of bush planted 
for that purpose, and is brought to Massachusetts to be 
manufactured. Some of the sheep's wool manufactured 
in Massachusetts is raised in the State, but the greater 
part is brought from other States. From this cotton and 

(47) 



48 LETTER XVI. 

sheep's wool a great many different kinds of cloth are 
made, such as shirtings, sheetings, calicoes, delaines, 
satinetts, cassimeres, broadcloths, shawls, blankets, and 
many other kinds. The spinning and weaving is done 
by machinery, so that a single person is able to attend 
many spindles and several looms. The factories in which 
these cloths are made are generally very large buildings 
of brick or stone, and a great number of persons are 
employed in them. 

Another branch of manufactures which employs a still 
greater number of people, is the making of shoes, of 
which great quantities are sent into other States. Mak- 
ing leather out of hides, to be used by the shoemakers, 
is also a considerable business, but much of the leather 
used in Massachusetts is brought from other States. 
There are also many great establishments for working 
up iron into various useful things, — chains, anchors, 
ploughs, hoes, shovels, knives and forks, penknives and 
razors. It would take quite a large book to tell you all 
the different kinds of useful things that are made in Mas- 
sachusetts. Every town of any size has a number of 
mechanics in it, such as blacksmiths, who make iron 
tools and shoe horses ; carpenters and joiners, who build 
houses and other buildings of wood ; masons, who build 
brick and stone houses, walls, and chimneys ; and cab- 
inet makers, who make tables, desks, sideboards, bed- 
steads, and other furniture for houses. Some are bakers, 
some are tailors, and some are hatters. In many parts 
of the State, the women and children, when they get 
leisure, braid straw or palmleaf to be made into hats. 



LETTER XVI. 49 

Some make jugs, bowls, milk-pans, and other vessels of 
clay, and are called potters. The tinman makes pails 
and other things of tin ; the coopers make barrels, tubs, 
and kegs. Some people make wagons, and chaises, and 
coaches ; some are paper-makers, some print books, and 
some bind books. In some parts of the State people get 
a living by splitting stones into long square blocks, and 
hammering them smooth. The stones are used in build- 
ings of various kinds. The best stone for this use is of a 
grayish blue color, and is called granite. The granite is 
very hard, but it is split easily with small iron wedges. 
In the winter many people are employed in cutting up 
the ice out of ponds in great square blocks. It is stored 
in icehouses to be used in the summer, and much of it is 
sent out of the State in ships. Some people make bricks 
of clay, some make nails, and some make clocks. Some 
keep various kinds of goods to soil, and are called traders 
and merchants. Some are lawyers, some are doctors, 
some are ministers, and some keep school. 

There are a great many other sorts of business which 
I do not mention now, for fear of tiring you. 

What are manufacturing towns ? Mention some of the principal manufac- 
tures in Massachusetts. Are there any other kinds of business, and what ? 
5 



LETTER XVII. 

ALMS-HOUSES, SCHOOLS, CHURCHES. 

The people of Massachusetts are generally pretty good 
to work. Some of them complain a good deal of hard 
times, but almost all make out to get a comfortable living. 
Yet there are some people who are old, and sick, and un- 
able to work ; and there are some who are idle and will 
not work. Some people in almost every town lay out 
nearly all the money they can get in buying rum, and 
drink so much that they are not fit for anything. These 
are very bad people ; and, if they suffer ever so much, 
they suffer by their own fault. But do you not pity 
their poor little children, who often go ragged and bare- 
foot, and in the winter shiver with cold, and sometimes 
have no bread to eat ? I think you must pity such poor 
little children with all your heart, especially when you 
consider that for want of clothing many of them are pre- 
vented from going to school. 

The poor old people, and the poor sick people, who 
cannot work, and the little children who have nobody to 
take care of them, are taken care of by the towns ; that 
is, by the inhabitants of the towns. Many towns have 
a house built on purpose for such people to live in. This 
house is called the poor-house, and sometimes the alms- 

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LETTER XVII. 61 

house. Some towns have no poor-house, but board out 
their poor in different families. The persons thus taken 
care of are called paupers. 

There are also three great alms-houses supported by 
the State. These are for paupers who have come into 
the State from other States or countries, and whom it 
does not belong to any particular town or city to sup- 
port. These persons are called State paupers. 

Every town and city in the State is provided with a 
number of school-houses ; and teachers are hired to keep 
school in them. The cities and larger towns have schools 
which are kept all the year. The schools in the country 
towns are commonly kept by men about three months in 
the winter. At this time the larger children go to school, 
and learn to read, write, and cipher, and some of them 
study grammar and geography. In the summer the 
schools are kept by women ; and then the smaller chil- 
dren go to school, and learn to read and spell, and some- 
times to write and cipher. 

Besides the common or public schools there are many 
others called private schools ; and in some of the towns 
there are schools called academies. All children in Mas- 
sachusetts have the right to attend some one of the pub- 
lic schools of the town or city in which they live, without 
paying anything. The parents of children who attend 
private schools have to pay the teacher. So do those 
who attend the academies, which are a kind of school 
for older pupils, and especially for those who wish to fit 
for college. But it is not necessary to go to an academy 
for this. The cities and many of the large towns in Mas- 



52 LETTER XYII. 

sachusetts, besides the public schools for the younger 
pupils, have others called high schools, for the older 
pupils, which are quite equal to the academies. The col- 
leges are a yet higher kind of school. I shall give you 
an account of them hereafter. 

There are also several schools called normal schools, 
supported at the expense of the State. They are for the 
particular instruction of young persons who wish to be- 
come teachers. One or two of the cities have, besides, 
normal schools of their own. 

Every child in Massachusetts has an opportunity of 
learning to read and write, if he will improve it, and also 
to learn a great deal besides. But some children are idle 
and naughty, and do not try to learn. I hope this will 
never be the case with any children who read this letter ; 
for bad children are a great trial to their parents, and 
almost always become bad men and women if they live to 
grow up. 

Almost every village in the State has at least one build- 
ing where the people meet together to worship God, and 
to hear the minister preach, and to learn how they must 
behave if they expect to be happy. These buildings are 
called meeting-houses, and also churches ; in cities and 
large towns they are commonly so called. Some of them 
are very handsome buildings, with tall, beautiful spires. 
All good people in Massachusetts make it a point to at- 
tend on Sunday at some church to which they belong. 

What is the alms-house for ? What is said of district schools ? Do you 
attend school 1 A district school ? Or a private school ? What is said of 
churches or meeting-houses ? 



LETTER XVIII 



TOWN MEETINGS. 



In every town and city in Massachusetts, the inhabi- 
tants have meetings, every year, to choose oflScers and for 
other purposes. Perhaps you would Hke to know a little 
about them. In the towns the people all meet in one 
place, and the first thing that is done is to choose a mod- 
erator. A moderator is a person to keep order and gov- 
ern the meeting, and is chosen in this way. The men 
write on little pieces of paper the name of the person 
whom they wish to have for moderator. These pieces of 
paper, with names on them, are called votes or ballots ; 
and the men put them into a box or hat. This is called 
voting or balloting. After the men have voted, the votes 
are turned out on a table, or desk, and counted. The 
person who has the greatest number of votes is moder- 
ator of the meeting. 

After the moderator is chosen he commonly asks some 
minister to make a prayer. After prayer, the moderator 
calls upon the people to bring in their votes for town 
clerk. The town clerk is the man who writes down in a 
book what is done at the meeting. 

After the town clerk is chosen, the voters choose select- 
men. The selectmen are commonly three, five, or seven 

5* (53) 



54 LETTER XVIII. 

of the principal people in the town, who are chosen every 
year to manage town affairs. The voters also choose per- 
sons called assessors, to say how much tax each man in 
town shall pay. It costs a good deal of money to repair 
the roads and bridges, and to support the schools and the 
poor; and every man has to pay a sum of money for this 
purpose, according to the property he has. This is what 
is meant by being taxed. 

The voters also choose persons to manage the poor- 
house and take care of the poor, called overseers of the 
poor; persons to hire schoolmasters and visit the schools, 
called the school committee; persons to oversee the 
mending of roads, called surveyors of the highways. 
They also choose at this meeting a number of other 
officers, but I will not mention them here. When you 
grow older you will know all about them. All the 
officers chosen at this meeting are called town officers. 
At this meeting the people commonly vote the sum of 
money the town will raise to pay the schoolmasters, to 
support the poor, to mend the roads, and for other pur- 
poses. This money is called the town tax, and every 
man in the town has to pay his share of it. 

In the cities the people are so numerous that they do 
not all meet in one place. The cities are divided into 
wards, and the people of each ward meet by themselves. 
An officer called a warden, and chosen the year before, 
presides at this election. There are also other officers to 
assist in receiving and counting the votes, called inspec- 
tors. The people of the cities, instead of choosing select- 
men, choose a mayor and aldermen ; and instead of them- 



LETTER XVlir. 55 

selves voting taxes, they choose a body of men called the 
common council. This common council, together with 
the mayor and aldermen, vote the taxes, and attend to all 
the other business which in the towns is settled in town 
meetings. 

There are other meetings every year for the choice of 
governor, senators and representatives, and other State 
officers. What the governor, senators, and representa- 
tives are chosen for, I will tell you in some other letter. 
I will only add in this letter, that the meeting for choos- 
ing governor, senators, and counsellors, is on the first 
Tuesday in November. 



LETTEK XIX 

COUNTY OF ESSEX. — ITS PRINCIPAL TOWNS AND CITIES. 

I AM glad to hear that you like my letters so well. I 
am told that you read them over several times, and that 
you can answer the questions. I have already told you 
a great many things about the State of Massachusetts, 
which I do not think you ever were told before; and 
now I will proceed to give you an account of the cities 
and principal towns in the State. I will begin with the 
county of Essex, and go on through all the counties. 
You must look on the map for all the cities and towns I 
shall mention. The names of the most important towns 
are on the map, but the names of the other towns are not 
put down, for fear of crowding it with too many words. 
But at the end of the book you will find a list of all the 
towns and cities in the State, with the number of people 
which they had when the last census was taken. A cen- 
sus is a numbering of all the people in all the towns and 
cities of the State. Such a census is taken once in five 
years. In speaking of the counties, towns, and cities, I 
shall not mention the number of inhabitants, but you can 
find it in this list. The numbers in this list are put down 
in figures, and before going any farther you must ask 
your teacher or some kind friend to teach you how to 
read figures. You can also learn from this list the names 
of all the towns in each county, and how many there are. 

(56) 



LETTER XIX. 57 

Beginning at the northeast, we find in Essex county 
the city of Newburyport. This city is on the south bank 
of Merrimack river, about three miles from the sea. Ves- 
sels come up the river to the town, where there are many 
wharves and stores. Wharves are places built out into 
the water, to which vessels can come for the purpose of 
loading or unloading. 

The Merrimack is here about half a mile wide, and 
there is a beautiful bridge over it, supported in a curious 
manner by great iron chains. On the north bank of the 
river are the towns of Salisbury and Amesbury, on oppo- 
site banks of the Powow, a small stream running into the 
Merrimack. In these towns are extensive woollen and 
cotton factories. Newburyport also has several large 
cotton factories carried by steam. Newburyport is one 
of the shire towns of Essex county. It is thirty-four 
miles northeast from Boston. 

About twelve miles south of Newburyport is Ipswich, 
another of the shire towns of the county. This is one of 
the oldest towns in the State. It is on both sides of Ips- 
wich river, a pretty large stream, which runs northeast 
through the middle of Essex county, and empties into the 
sea at Ipswich. There is a stone bridge of two arches 
across the river. Here is a factory for making lace, 
which is woven in a very curious sort of loom. 

Thirteen miles south of Ipswich is the city of Salem, 
also a shire town, and the oldest town in the county. It is 
also the oldest town but one in the State. Salem is situ- 
ated between two creeks, or inlets from the sea, called the 
North and South rivers. The tide flows up these inlets. 



58 LETTER XIX. 

Across the North river is a long wooden bridge, which 
joins Salem to Beverly. The South river forms Sa,lem 
harbor. It is a pretty good harbor, but the water is not 
deep enough for the largest ships to come up to the 
wharves. There are many rich merchants in Salem, who 
own ships and carry on a great deal of trade. There is 
also a large steam cotton factory, and many manufactures 
of various kinds. Most of the houses in Salem are of 
wood, but many are of brick, and some of stone. Many 
of the houses are handsome, particularly on Chestnut 
street, and near the common, which is a beatiful level 
field laid out in gravel walks, and bordered with fine 
elms. There are, however, in the city, some odd and 
curious old houses. The court-house is a new and beau- 
tiful building. An aqueduct furnishes the city with a 
supply of soft spring water. There is a large public 
library called the Salem Athenseum, containing more 
than ten thousand volumes. There is also a society here 
called the East India Marine Society. This society has 
a large hall full of curious things, which the sea captains 
have brought home from India and from other foreign 
countries. You would be very much dehghted to see 
them. In Essex county there are three shire towns, 
Newburyport, Ipswich, and Salem. Salem is fourteen 
miles northeasterly from Boston. 

Five miles southwest of Salem is the city of Lynn. 
Lynn is built on a fine smooth plain that slopes down to 
the seashore, while it is bounded towards the land by 
steep and high rocks. It is a very neat town, mostly of 
wooden houses, and is famous for the manufacture of 



LETTER XIX. 59 

women's shoes. Chocolate is also made here. Choco- 
late is made of a sort of nut called cocoa. The cocoa is 
brought in ships from countries that lie a great way ofif 
to the south. 

Southeast of Lynn is the little town of Nahant. Na- 
hant is a high, rocky piece of land, almost surrounded by 
the sea, but joined to the shore by a narrow ridge of sand 
and pebbles, a mile and a half long. On one side of this 
ridge, where the sea breaks, is a fine, hard, smooth beach, 
very pleasant to ride and walk upon. A great many 
people go to Nahant, to enjoy the sea breezes, to walk 
and ride on the beach, and to see the great waves roll up 
and break upon the sand, or dash into white foam against 
the rocks. On the northern side is a village of neat 
houses made extremely convenient for summer residence. 
There is also a very large public house, besides several 
other houses of entertainment. 

Wliat is a census ? Where is Newburyport ? on what river ? and what is 
said of it ? "What is said of Ipswich ? Where are Salisbury and Amesbury, 
and what is said of them ? In what part of Essex county is Salem ? What 
is said of it ? How many shire towns in Essex county, and which are they 1 
For what is Lynn famous ? What is said of Nahant 1 



LETTER XX. 

VICINITY OF SALEM. — TOWXS ON CAPE ANN. — HAVERHILL. 
— CITY OF LAWRENCE. 

Besides the towns which I have already described, there 
are several others in the county of Essex, about which I 
dare say you will be pleased to know something. South 
DanverS; which joins Salem on the west, has important 
iron works, tanneries, and other factories. North Dan- 
vers is also a considerable town. Marblehead, four miles 
west of Salem, is situated on a rocky peninsula ; that is, 
a piece of land almost surrounded by water. It has a 
good harbor, and is famous for its concern in the cod 
fishery. Swampscott is a small fishing town between 
Marblehead and Lynn. It also has some elegant summer 
residences. Phillips' Beach, in this town, is much fre- 
quented during the summer. Beverly, already mentioned, 
north of Salem, is a considerable fishing town. But the 
town most famous for this business is Gloucester, on 
Cape Ann, sixteen miles northeast of Salem. This is a 
rocky town. It extends across the Cape, and is washed 
by the ocean on the north and on the south side. On the 
south side is a fine harbor, and here is the principal vil- 
lage, which is a very considerable place. More fishing 
vessels are owned here than anywhere else in the State. 

(60) 



•LETTER XX. 61 

At the farther end of Cape Ann, five miles from Glouces- 
ter, is the town of Sandy Bay. It has no harbor, but the 
people have built great stone walls which run out into 
the sea, and form a shelter for their vessels. These walls 
are built of large stones held together by clamps of iron. 
In storms the waves dash against them very terribly, and 
sometimes move the largest and heaviest of these stones. 
There are large quarries of granite in Sandy Bay, and a 
great deal of it is split and carried to Boston and other 
places. The town also has a factory for making a thick 
cloth called duck, for the sails of vessels. A considerable 
number of fishing vessels are owned here. Most of the 
fishing vessels fitted out from Cape Ann are built at 
Essex, a town on the north shore of the Cape, between 
Gloucester and Ipswich. Between Gloucester and Bev- 
erly is Manchester, which has a small harbor. 

Let us pass now up the Merrimack river to the town 
of Haverhill. Vessels can sail up to this town, which is 
eighteen miles from Newburyport and thirty-two from 
Boston. On the banks of the Merrimack, between New- 
buryport and Haverhill, many fine vessels are built. 
Haverhill, which is quite a town, is largely engaged in 
the manufacture of shoes. A covered bridge across the 
Merrimack connects it with Bradford, a pleasant farming 
town on the south side of the river. 

But much the largest and most flourishing manufactur- 
ing place in the county of Essex is the city of Lawrence, 
situated on the Merrimack, a few miles above Haverhill. 
Here is a fall in the Merrimack, one of those water-falls 
of which I have spoken in a former letter as so useful for 



62 LETTER XX. 

manufacturing purposes. To have the full use of the 
water, a strong and high stone dam has been built across 
the river. When the river is full and the water flows 
over the dam, it makes a beautiful sight. Above this 
dam the water is taken out of the river by a broad and 
deep canal which runs along by the river, which it enters 
again some distance below the dam. From this long 
canal short canals run directly into the river, and the 
water flowing down one of these short canals is sufficient 
to carry one or more factories. Quite a number of fac- 
tories of the largest size have been built, and a large city 
has grown up here, all within a few years. 



What towns in the neighborhood of Salem ? What is the largest fishing 
town, and where situated? What is said of it? Wliat town at the end of 
Cape Ann ? For what is it remarkable ? Where is Haverhill, and what is 
said of it 1 What is the chief manufactunng town in the county ? How are 
the factories carried 1 



LETTER XXI. 

ANDOVER ACADEMY AND THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. — DUMMER 

ACADEMY. 

On the south bank of the Merrimack, adjoining the city 
of Lawrence, is the town of Andover. The principal, 
village, which is some distance from the river, is about 
twenty miles north from Boston. The soil here is very 
good, and there are many fine farms and neat houses. 
In Andover there are two famous schools ; one is called 
Phillips' Academy, and the other the Theological Semi- 
nary. Phillips' Academy is the richest academy in the 
State, and the oldest but one. About fifty years ago Mr. 
John Phillips and Mr. Samuel Phillips, two worthy gen- 
tlemen, gave a large sum of money to establish this acad- 
emy. Boys at the age of ten or twelve years, if they 
behave well, can go to it and study Latin and Greek, and 
be fitted for college. Those who are so poor that they 
cannot pay for board and instruction, but are good young 
men and excellent scholars, are assisted with board, and 
receive instruction without paying for it. 

The oldest academy in the State was established more 
than seventy years ago, at Byfield, about four miles from 
Newburyport, by Mr. William Dummer. It is called 
Dummer Academy. The first person who kept school in 

(63) 



64 LETTER XXI. 

it was Master Moody ; he was a very good master, and 
many of the boys who went to school to him, when they 
grew lip, became famous men. 

The Theological Seminary at Andover is on a hill, pre- 
senting a delightful prospect. There are three large 
brick buildings standing in a row, and before them is a 
green yard planted with trees. The young men who go 
to the seminary spend three years in study, in order to 
qualify themselves to be ministers of the gospel. They 
have learned men to teach them, who are called profes- 
sors. They do not pay anything for instruction, and 
many who are poor have their board given them. 



LETTER XXII. 

COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX. — CITY OF CHARLESTOWN. 

The oldest town in Middlesex county is the city of 
Charlestown. It is in the southeast part of the county, 
and is built on a peninsula between the mouths of Mystic 
and Charles rivers. A peninsula, I have told you already, 
is a piece of land almost surrounded by water. Charles 
river is not large, and Mystic river is small, but as they 
come near the sea, both of them spread out to a great 
width. There are extensive salt marshes on their banks. 

There are two large wooden bridges across the Mystic 
river ; one of them joins Charlestown to Maiden, the 
other joins it to Chelsea. Two bridges across the Charles 
river connect Charlestown with Boston. Charlestown has 
a harbor and wharves, many vessels, and much trade. 

In this city is the State Prison. It consists of a very 
large building of granite, in form of a cross, with a large 
eight-sided building in the centre. The w^hole is sur- 
rounded by a high stone wall. These buildings have a 
great number of very small rooms in them, with iron 
doors and strong locks. The little rooms are called cells. 
No cell has more than one window, and that narrow, let- 
ting in only a faint light. The windows have iron bars 
across them on the outside. When the iron doors are 

6* (65) 



GQ LETTER XXII. 

opened, they grate on their hinges ; and when one speaks 
in the cells, it makes a most dismal sound. The State 
Prison was made for persons that steal, pass counterfeit 
money, break open stores and houses, set fire to stores 
and houses, or do other wicked things contrary to the 
laws of the State. When a person has been found guilty 
of some dreadful crime, they shut him up in one of the 
cells, and sometimes chain him there. Those prisoners 
who are not so bad go out of their cells every morning ; 
but they are obliged to work hard all day, and be shut 
up again at night. They sleep upon straw, eat coarse 
food, and are very unhappy. Nothing can be more 
gloomy than the State Prison. If you were to go into it 
to see how it looks, it would make you shudder. But I 
do hope no child who reads this letter will ever behave 
so bad as to be shut up in that dreadful place. 

In the town of Somerville, between Charlestown and 
Cambridge, on a gentle swell of land, is the McLean 
Asylum for the Insane. It has several large, handsome 
buildings of brick. It has been built in order that in- 
sane, that is, crazy people, may be carried to it, and be 
better taken care of than they can be at home. It is 
called after Mr. John McLean, who gave a great sum of 
money to support this hospital, and for other charitable 
purposes. There is also in Somerville a large brick col- 
lege, called Tufts' college, after the gentleman who gave 
the land on which it is built. 

Breed's Hill, where the famous battle was fought, com- 
monly called the battle of Bunker Hill, is in Charlestown. 
Your mother, or some other friend, will tell you some- 






LETTER XXII. 67 

thing about this battle. On the place where the battle 
was fought, is a very large and high monument of granite. 
Its shape is square, but it is larger at the bottom than at 
the top, and higher than the highest steeple you ever 
saw. Such a pillar is called an obelisk. It is a noble 
object to look at. It is made hollow, having two hun- 
dred and ninety-four stairs within, winding round and 
round, so that one can go up to the top. At the top is a 
chamber, from the windows of which one is able to see 
to a great distance. The monument stands in the centre 
of a square, enclosed with an iron railing, and surrounded 
with handsome houses. 

In Charlestown is a great navy yard, belonging to the 
United States. Massachusetts is one of the United States, 
but there are many other States besides. The navy yard 
is enclosed on one side by a high stone wall, and on the 
other sides by the water. Within the wall are brick 
houses for the officers and men; also magazines, and 
workshops, and storehouses, in which are kept all sorts 
of articles used in fitting out vessels of war. There is a 
very large and long stone building for manufacturing 
cordage. There are a number of immense wooden houses, 
under which they build the largest ships. The greatest 
curiosity is the dry dock, sunk in the ground and built of 
stone. It has great gates which communicate with the 
sea, and through which the largest ships can be floated 
in. The gates are then closed, the ship propped up, and 
the water pumped out. The bottom of the ship is thus 
laid bare, so that it can be repaired. In this navy yard 
ships of war for the United States are built. Some of 



68 LETTER XXII. M^ 

them carry a hundred great guns. There are generally 
several of these great ships lying in the water near the 
navy 3^ard. 

How is Chaiiestown situated ? By what is it connected willi Boston ? 

What is the State Prison for ? Wliat is said of it ? What battle was fought 

in Charlestown ■? What is said of the monument ? To whom does tlie navy 
yard belong ? What is it used for ? 



LETTER XXIII. 



CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. 



About three miles west from Charlestown, and as many 
from Boston, is Cambridge. This city has three principal 
villages : Cambridgeport, East Cambridge, and Old Cam- 
bridge. Old Cambridge has many fine houses, and is 
planted with trees, and in the summer season is ver}^ 
pleasant. Here is Harvard University. A university is 
very nearly the same as a college. Harvard College is 
much the oldest school in the United States. It was 
founded more than two hundred years ago, and a few 
years after the country was first settled b}^ white people. 
It is called after Mr. John Harvard, who, when it was 
first founded, gave a sum of money to support it. A 
great many people have since given money to it, and it is 
now rich. The college buildings are on a fine level plain. 
There are seven or eight large buildings of brick, and 
three of stone. The building which is called Divinity 
Hall stands at a considerable distance from the rest. 
The other buildings stand in a square, and between them 
is a fine large green, planted with elms, with gravel walks 
across it. All round the square there is a belt of young 
pines and other trees. 

Connected with the university are a great many young 

(69) 



70 LETTER XXIII. 

men, who go there to study. Learned professors and 
tutors are there to teach them; and a great number of 
books for them to read. The university has a very large 
library^ which is kept in a beautiful stone building. There 
is also connected with it an observatory, in which are 
large telescopes and other instruments for looking at the 
stars. It also has a botanic garden, in which are col- 
lected a great variety of trees and flowers. Botany is 
the knowledge of trees and flowers, and this garden is 
for the use of botanical students. In one of the build- 
ings is a fine cabinet of minerals, that is, of all kinds of 
stones and ores. There is also a hall containing a great 
many portraits of distinguished persons and benefactors 
of the college. The young men at Cambridge have very 
great advantages, and ought to make great progress in 
their studies. Once every year there is an exhibition 
called Commencement. Several hundred ladies and gen- 
tlemen from various parts of the country go to Com- 
mencement, to hear the young men of the university 
speak their orations, poems, and other pieces which they 
have written. After a young man has been four years 
at college, if he has studied well and behaved well, he is 
called a Bachelor of Arts. Some of the young men re- 
main, after they have become Bachelors of Arts, to study 
law, divinity, or medicine ; that is, to qualify themselves 
for being lawyers, ministers, or doctors. The medical 
college, however, is not in Cambridge, but in Boston, 
where a course of lectures is. delivered to the medical 
students every winter. There is also connected with the 
university what is called the Lawrence Scientific School, 



LETTER XXm. 71 

after Mr. Abbott Lawrence, who gave a large sum of 
money to found it. Young men may learn a great many 
things necessary to be known by architects, engineers, 
and by those who follow various other kinds of business. 
Architects are those who plan houses and other buildings. 
Engineers plan railroads, bridges, and such things. A 
great number of learned and excellent men have been 
educated at Harvard College. The college has been a 
great blessing to Massachusetts ; and I hope and trust it 
will continue to be so for ages to come. 

On the western border of Cambridge, about a mile from 
the colleges, is Mount Auburn Cemetery. A cemetery is 
a place for the burial of the dead. Mount Auburn is a 
beautiful piece of land, with many hills and valleys, cov- 
ered with trees, and beautifully laid out with roads and 
walks. It is surrounded with an iron fence, having a re- 
markable gateway of granite. It contains a chapel, a 
tower on the highest hill, from which is a fine prospect, 
and many fine monuments of marble and granite erected 
to the dead. Many other cemeteries have been made in 
difi'erent parts of the State in imitation of Mount Auburn, 
but none of them are equal to it. 

Cambridgeport is a large settlement east of Old Cam- 
bridge, and is connected with Boston by a very long 
bridge. East Cambridge is also connected with Boston 
by a long bridge. At this place are a court-house, jail, 
and an extensive manufactory of elegant cut glass. Here 
is also the most extensive estabhshment in the State for 
slaughtering beef cattle. Other kinds of business, partic- 
ularly the making of soap and candles, are carried on to a 



72 LETTER XXIII. 

considerable extent. Cambridge is supplied with water 
by an aqueduct from Fresh Pond, on the western border 
of the town. 

Brighton, separated from Cambridge by Charles river, 
is famous for its cattle fairs. Cattle and sheep, many 
thousand in a week, are brought in droves to this place. 
Every Thursday there is a sale, when the butchers assem- 
ble to make their purchases. There is also another weekly 
cattle market, held in Cambridge, about a mile northwest 
of the colleges, but there are not so many cattle sold here 
as at Brighton. Many of the animals sold at these fairs 
are brought from a great distance on the railroads. 

Where is Cambridge, and what is said of it 1 How long has the college 
been established, and who founded it 1 What is the college for ? Wliat 
means of instruction are connected with the college ? What is said of Cam- 
bridgeport 1 Of East Cambridge ? What institutions at Somerville 1 For 
what is Briffhton famous ? 



LETTER XXIV. 

OTHER TOWNS IN MIDDLESEX. — LOWELL. 

At Newton is a theological seminary, in which young 
men are prepared for the ministry. There are several beau- 
tiful villages in this town. At Watertown and on the 
banks of Charles river is an extensive arsenal belonging 
to the United States, and consisting of several brick build- 
ings, standing in a square. An arsenal is a place w^here 
cannons, muskets, balls, and other implements of war, are 
kept. 

Waltham is on Charles river, eleven miles distant from 
Boston. The thickly settled part of the town is called 
Waltham Plain ; it is nearly level, has a good soil, and is 
well cultivated. Here are the Boston and Waltham fac- 
tories, at which a great deal of cotton cloth is made. 
They are carried by a fall in Charles river. 

Medford, on the Mystic river, five miles from Boston, 
is famous for ship-building. West Cambridge, Winches- 
ter, Maiden, Melrose, Reading, and South Reading, are all 
beautiful villages, within a short distance of Boston. 
Lexington, eleven miles from Boston, is famous for the 
battle fought there. There is a monument erected here 
in memory of this battle. It stands on the green, near 
the church, where the first blood was shed. 

7 (73) 



74 



LETTER XXIV. 




LETTER XXIV. 75 

Eighteen miles northwest of Boston is Concord, a 
pleasant town on Concord riv^er. This river flows along 
with a smooth and gentle current. Concord is one of 
the shire towns of Middlesex county. Framingham, in 
the southwest part of the county, and Groton, in the 
northwest part, are pleasant towns. At Framingham is 
one of the State normal schools of which I spoke in a 
former letter. At Hopkinton, in the southwest corner 
of the county, is a mineral spring, thought to be useful 
for the cure of several diseases. 

But much the largest town in Middlesex, and the largest 
in the State, next to Boston, is the city of Lowell, in the 
northeastern part of the county. It is situated on the 
Merrimack river, just below Pawtucket falls. Here, as at 
Lawrence, a great dam has been built across the river : 
the water is taken out in a canal, and is employed to 
carry the machinery of a great many factories. The Con- 
cord river, which here falls into the Merrimack, also fur- 
nishes additional water power. The number of persons 
employed in these factories is very large. Most of them 
are girls and women. The factories are large brick build- 
ings ; and there are, besides, many other fine buildings in 
the town. Lowell is one of the shire towns of Middlesex 
county, and has a court-house and jail. There are three 
shire towns in Middlesex county: Cambridge, Concord, 
and Lowell. At Tewksbury, which joins Lowell on the 
east, is one of the State alms-houses. 

For what is Brighton famous ? "What is said of Ne^vi:on ? Of "Waterto^\'n ? 
Of Walthara ? Of Medford ? What is said of Concord ? "SVlicre is Groton '^ 
rramingham 1 Hopkinton ' How many shire towns in Middlesex ? 



76 



LETTER XXIV. 




m^^' 



LETTER XXV. 

SUFFOLK COUNTY. — CHELSEA. — CITY OF BOSTON. 

The county of Suffolk contains much less land than any 
other county in the State. It consists of only four towns. 
North Chelsea and Winthrop, two of these towns, contain 
but few inhabitants. A considerable part of these towns 
is salt marsh, the rest consists of well cultivated farms. 
North Chelsea has a fine beach, which is much frequented 
in the summer. Chelsea is a large and growing place. 
There are two large hospitals in this town, belonging to 
the United States, where sick seamen may be taken care 
of Chelsea is joined to Charlestown by a very long 
bridge across Mystic river. A shorter bridge connects it 
with East Boston, and a ferry a mile and a half long witli 
the main city. The ferry boats go by steam, and the sail 
is very pleasant. The only other town in the county of 
Suffolk is the city of Boston. 

Boston is the metropolis or mother city of Massachu- 
setts, and much the largest and richest in the State. 

I have already told you that Charles river, as it ap- 
proaches the sea, spreads out into a bay. This bay washes 
Boston on the western and northern sides; on the eastern 
side Boston is washed by the sea. Boston is almost sur- 
rounded by water ; it joins the main land only on the 

7* * (77) 



78 LETTER XXV. 

southern side. The peninsula on which the main city is 
built is about two miles long and one mile wide. Where 
it joins the main land it was once very narrow, and this 
narrow piece of land was called the Neck. But it is now 
greatly widened by being filled in on both sides, and 
wide streets have been laid out across this made land. 
South Boston, on another peninsula, is separated from 
the other part of the city by an arm of the sea, and ap- 
pears like a different town. It is connected with the 
main city by three bridges. East Boston is also separated 
by Vv^ater from the rest of the city, being built on an 
island. Ferry boats run constantly to connect it with 
the main city. For a hundred and fifty years after Bos- 
ton was first settled, there were only two principal ways 
of getting into it, one by land over the Neck, and the 
other across the water in a ferry boat from Charlestown. 
But now Boston is joined to Charlestown by two fine 
bridges, each of them more than a quarter of a mile long ; 
to Cambridge by two more bridges, each about half a 
mile long ; and to Brookline by the Mill Dam, called also 
the Western Avenue, which is about a mile and a half 
long. All the bridges are of wood. The piers are made 
of large timbers driven into the mud, and fastened 
strongly together. The bridges have sidewalks for foot 
passengers, and lanterns placed at equal distances on both 
sides. These lanterns are lighted with gas every night, 
during that part of the month when there is no moon. 
The gas is made from coal in a great building for that 
purpose, and is carried in iron pipes all over the city. It 
is that part of the coal which makes the blaze, and gas 



LETTER XXV. 79 

that will burn and give light can be made from anything 
that will blaze. It is like air^ but is lighter and not fit to 
breath, and has a very bad smell. The streets, and many 
of the houses and stores, in Boston, are lighted with it ; 
and the same is the case in the other cities and some 
of the towns. 

What is said of the county of Suffolk ? What is said of Chelsea ? What 
large building in Chelsea ? What washes Boston on the west and northern 
sides 1 What on the east side ? What is said of South Boston 1 How many 
bridges join Boston to Charlestown? How many bridges join Boston to 
Cambridge? What are these bridges built of? What is said of the Mill 
Dam ? How are the streets lighted 1 



^ LETTER XXVI. 

THE STREETS. — THE COMMON. — THE AQUEDUCT. 

Almost the whole of Boston, except the Common, and 
some parts of East Boston, South Boston, and the Neck, 
is taken up with streets and buildings. The streets in 
the older parts of the city are narrow and crooked, and 
the buildings are mostly of wood ; but in the newer parts 
of the city the streets are wide and straight, and the 
buildings are of brick and of stone. The streets are paved 
mostly with round, smooth stones, such as are found on 
the seashore ; and on each side are sidewalks, paved with 
bricks or flat stones. The streets, as I have mentioned, 
have lamps at regular distances, which are lighted at 
night ; and most of them have houses on both sides, 
touching each other all the way, except where they are 
interrupted by cross streets. The longest street in Bos- 
ton is Washington street. Here are shops on each side 
of the way for more than a mile. The sti'eet is crowded 
with coaches, chaises, and other carriages ; and the side- 
walks are full of people, passing one way or the other. 
Everybody seems to be busy. There is no place so gay 
and bustling as the streets of a great town. 

The Common is a large and beautiful five-sided field, 
on the westerly side of the city. Round the Common 

(80) 



T.ETTER XXVT. 



81 



IB^^^^^^^^^^^^ 




82 LETTER XXVT. 

are wide, smooth gravel walks, planted with rows of trees. 
Some of the trees are very large and old. There are also 
walks across the Common, and trees scattered up and 
down. Not far from the middle is a small pond of fresh 
water, with young elms round its border. The Common 
is a great ornament to the city. On four sides of it there 
are splendid houses. Tremont street, on which are dwell- 
ing houses of stone and brick, four stories high, fronts it 
on the east ; Park street, at one end of which is a church, 
remarkable for its high and beautiful steeple, fronts it on 
the northeast ; on the northwest is Beacon street, on 
which stands the State House, with many large and ele- 
gant dwelling houses ; and Boylson street, which also has 
many fine buildings, fronts it on the southwest. 

Charles street, on the west, separates it from the Pub- 
lic Garden, which is nearly half as large as the Common 
itself, and is beautifully laid out in walks, and planted 
with shrubs and flowers. The Common is not level, ex- 
cept the part nearest Charles street, but rises in fine 
swells, from the highest portion of which there is a wide 
and beautiful prospect of the spreading waters of Charles 
river, and the towns which join Boston on the west. 
South Boston and East Boston also have Commons, and 
there are on the Neck a number of beautiful squares 
planted with trees. 

One of the greatest ornaments of the Common is a 
fountain, which is made to play into the pond above men- 
tioned. It does not play all the time, but only occasion- 
ally. It can throw a tall column of water to a great 
height, far above the tops of the trees, or can be made to 



LETTER XXVT. 83 

take on a variety of beautiful forms. This fountain is 
supplied with water by the aqueduct which furnishes 
water for the people of Boston to drink. This aqueduct, 
which cost a great deal of money, brings to Boston the 
waters of a large pond called Long Pond, or sometimes 
lake Cochituate, which lies in the towns of Tramingham, 
Wayland, and Natick, twenty miles distant. It is brought 
as far as Brooldine, about four miles from Boston, through 
a conduit, or passage-way, built of brick, in shape like 
an egg, but high enough for a man to stand in. This 
brick conduit slopes very gradually all the way, and is 
buried in the ground or banked over with earth. At 
Brookline it empties into a reservoir, which makes quite 
a large pond, and from which the water is brought by 
immense iron pipes to the city, where it is distributed 
by smaller pipes through all the streets, and into almost 
every house. Water brought in this way through a pipe 
into which no air is admitted, w^ill rise as high at the end 
where it comes out as the water stands at the end where 
it runs in. Now, the reservoir in Brookline is much 
higher than the greater part of Boston, and this is the 
reason why the water will rise to the tops of the houses, 
and why the fountain throws it up so high. There are 
in Boston three great reservoirs, large enough to hold a 
supply for a few days, if any accident should happen to 
the great iron pipes that come from Brookline. One of 
these reservoirs, just behind the State House, is an im- 
"uense square structure of granite. The others, — one 
in East Boston, and one in South Boston, — are sunk in 
the earth on two high hills, and are surrounded witli 



84 LETTER XXVI. 

beautiful walks. The Cochituate water is a great bless- 
ing to Boston. 

In what part of Boston are the streets narrow and crooked 1 "What is said 
of pavements ? WMch is the longest street ? Where is the Common, and 
what is said of it ? Where is the Public Garden ? How is Boston supplied 
with water 3 



LETTER XXYII. 

MARKETS, HOSPITAL, CUSTOM HOUSE, HARBOR, AND WHARVES. 

One of the most remarkable buildings in the city is 
Faneuil Hall Market. It is built of granite, and is two 
stories high; but the middle part is wider and higher 
than the rest, and has a dome at the top. This market 
house is five hundred and thirty-six feet long, and at each 
end there is a portico supported by four great pillars of 
granite. These pillars are twenty feet high, and more 
than a yard thick ; and each is made of a single piece of 
stone. The principal entrances are at the ends under the 
porticos, and there is a wide passage from one end to the 
other, through the whole building. On each side of this 
passage are places called stalls, occupied by the market- 
men. In these stalls are kept all kinds of meat, as well as 
butter and cheese, and all sorts of vegetables, fowls, and 
fish. Every morning there is a great crowd of people 
about the market, who come to buy provisions. In the 
second story there are large, elegant halls. 

On the sides of the market house are two streets called 
North and South Market streets, and on the sides of these 
streets, opposite to the market house, are rows of stores, 
built in one block, with granite fronts, and four stories 
high. There are a number of other smaller markets in 

8 (85) 



SQ 



LETTER XXVJT. 







LETTER XXVIT. 87 

different parts of the city, besides shops for the sale of 
provisions in almost every street. 

In the western part of the city, near the water-side, is 
the Massachusetts General Hospital. This is thought by 
many people the finest building in the State. It is called 
general hospital, because all kinds of diseases are treated 
in it. It is of granite, and has a portico in front, sup- 
ported by eight stone columns. Within, it is divided into 
rooms, which are furnished with every convenience for 
the sick people who are brought to be taken care of. 
Many are brought from a great distance. A number of 
benevolent gentlemen contributed money to build this 
hospital ; much money was also given by the State for 
the same purpose. There is no better use to which 
money can be put, than to give it for such charitable 
uses. There are other hospitals in Boston for the treat- 
ment of particular diseases. One of these is the ear 
and eye infirmary on Charles street, which is a handsome 
brick building. 

The most costly, and perhaps the finest, building in 
Boston is the Custom House. A custom house is a place 
where the master or owners of all ships that arrive are 
obliged to go to pay customs, or duties, that is, taxes, 
on the goods which they bring from foreign countries. 
Some things, such as tea and coffee, are allowed to be 
brought in free of duty ; but all cloths, and other manu- 
factured goods, pay duties. These duties are paid to 
the United States, to whom the custom house belongs. 
There are custom houses in all the chief seaports, but 
none in Massachusetts near so large as that in Boston, 



88 



LETTER XXVTT. 




Custom House, Boston. 



where a great deal of business is done. The merchants 
who pay these duties add M^hat they have to pay to the 
price of the goods, so that everybody who buys a piece 
of imported cloth to make clothes of, or a piece of rib- 
bon, pays a tax upon it to the United States. The tax 
which every family thus pays amounts in a year to a con- 
siderable sum. Part of the money thus paid is spent by 
the United States in keeping up light-houses to show the 
way into the harbors, in building forts, and keeping sol- 
diers in them to protect the harbors, and in building and 
fitting out ships of war to sail over the ocean to protect 
the vessels that trade to foreign countries. 

The Boston custom house is a beautiful fireproof 
building of granite, situated between Long wharf and 
Central wharf, and fronting the harbor. Even the roof 
is made of granite. It has on each side a portico of six 
large columns, and a dome in the middle. 



LETTER XXVIL 89 

Boston harbor is very large. If you look at the map 
you will see that the land bends in a considerable way 
to make it. It contains many islands. There are more 
than fifty, large and small. Some of them are large 
enough to make valuable pastures for sheep and cattle. 
Several are used for various purposes, — one of them for 
the alms-house of the city; but most of them are very 
small, and many are bare rocks. By means of islands the 
harbor is divided into two parts, called the inner and the 
outer harbor. The inner harbor is that part of the harbor 
which is next to the city. There is water enough in the 
inner harbor for five hundred of the largest ships to lie at 
anchor in safety. The entrance of the outer harbor is 
between two islands, and very narrow. Scarcely two 
ships can come in side by side. Governor's Island and 
Castle Island, between which is the entrance of the inner 
harbor, are both fortified ; that is, have forts on them, 
with very large cannons, in order to defend the city 
against enemies. The fort on Governor's Island is called 
Fort Warren ; that on Castle Island is called Fort Inde- 
pendence. There is also another larger and stronger fort 
on George's Island, at the entrance of the outer harbor. 
Nearly the whole of Boston is surrounded at the water's 
edge by wharves. Some of the wharves run out a great 
way into the deep water, so that the largest vessels can 
come up to them ; the two longest are called Long wharf 
and Central wharf On each of them there is a row of 
high stores and warehouses, of brick and stone. Long 
wharf extends out into the water more than half a mile. 
At almost all the wharves there are constantly lying ves- 

8* 



90 



LETTER XXVII. 



sels of all sorts and sizes, for the purpose of loading and 
unloading such goods and articles as are brought to the 
city and carried away from it. The masts of the vessels 
are so thick that they appear almost like a forest. 

The wharves are covered with hogsheads, barrels 
boxes, and other things ; and a great many carts and 
trucks are continually employed in bringing goods and 
carrying them away, and a great many people are going 
and coming. Wharves are very busy places when busi- 
ness is lively. 

How long is Fancuil Hall Market? Of what is it built? WhatT^s 
made of it? mat is the General Hospital for? Where is it situated^ 
What IS the object of custom houses ? What is said of the Boston Custom 
House ? mat is said of Boston harbor ? Of the islands in it ? How is it 
divided ? Wliat is said of the entrance of the outer harbor ? What is said 
of the inner harbor? Between what islands is the entrance? By what is 
boston surrounded ? What is said of the wharves ? 



LETTER XXVIII. 

STATE HOUSE. — HOW LAWS ARE MADE. 

One of the largest and finest buildings in Boston is the 
State House. It is of brick, and painted a brownish white 
color. It is on the top of a hill, called Beacon Hill, wliicli 
is the highest land in the city. In the front of the State 
House is a portico, supported by large pillars; and on 
the top is a great dome. What a dome is you will see 
by looking fit the picture. At the top of the dome is a 
small room with large windows, called the lantern. From 
this lantern one may have a fine view of the city, the har- 
bor, and the surrounding country. It is very high. Peo- 
ple who are coming to Boston see the dome of the State 
House at a great distance. On the lower floor of the 
State House, opposite to the principal entrance, and in a 
recess prepared for the purpose, stands a beautiful marble 
statue of Washington. 

I presume you would like to know what this elegant 
building is for. I will tell you. A great number of gen- 
tlemen are chosen every year to go to Boston and make 
laws for the people of Massachusetts. These gentlemen 
are chosen every year at town meetings, as I have already 
told you. One of them is called the Governor, another 
the Lieutenant-Governor, nine are called Counsellors 

(91) 



92 LETTER XXVIII. 

because they advise the Governor ; forty are called 
Senators ; and the rest, being about three hundred, are 
called Representatives. These gentlemen meet in the 
State House every year. The Representatives meet in 
a large beautiful hall in the centre of the State House, 
called the Representatives' room. The Senators meet in 
another hall much smaller, but very beautiful, called the 
senate-chamber. The Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, 
and Counsellors meet in another room, called the council- 
chamber. 

The Governor and Council, Senate and Representa- 
tives, all together, are called the General Court, or Legis- 
lature. Laws are made in this way. A Representative 
who wishes to have a law made, writes it down on a 
piece of paper. This writing is called a bill. A gentle- 
man called the Speaker reads the bill to the Representa- 
tives, and asks those who wish it to become a law to 
stand up ; then he asks those who do not wish it to be- 
come a law to stand up. If, upon three readings of 
the bill at different times, the number of Representa- 
tives who wish it to become a law is greater than the 
number who oj)pose itj the Speaker signs the bill with 
his own name, and sends it to the Senate. A gentleman 
called the President of the Senate reads the bill to the 
Senators ; and if they like the bill, they vote for it. Then 
the President of the Senate signs the bill, and sends it to 
the Governor. If the Governor likes the bill, he signs it, 
and then it becomes a law ; and everybody in the State 
must obey the law or be punished. Sometimes, however, 
the bill is first brought into the Senate, and sent to the 



LETTER XXVni. 93 

Representatives, and from them to the Governor ; but all 
bills relating to taxes must begin in the House of Repre- 
sentatives. Laws are not made, however, so fast as you 
might suppose from this account. For very often the 
Representatives and Senators talk a long time about a 
bill, before they take a vote upon it ; and often either the 
Representatives or the Senators vote against it. 

Where is the State House ? What is it for ? How are laws made ? 



LETTER XXIX. 

SCHOOLS. — LIBRARIES. — MUSEUM. 

I HAVE no doubt you would like to know something 
about the schools of Boston. The people of the city 
have taken great pains with their schools. Those for 
the youngest children are kept by women, and are called 
primary schools. Children from the age of four to eight 
are taught at these schools to read and spell. At the age 
of eight, if the children can read, they may be admitted 
into the grammar schools. In these schools the children 
are taught reading, writing, arithmetic, geography and 




Phillips- Schccl. 



(04) 



LETTER XXIX. 95 

grammar. The boys may remain in these schools till 
they are fourteen years old; the girls can stay a year 
longer. Besides these grammar schools, there are three 
others, one called the English high school, another the 
Latin grammar, and the third the normal school. Boys 
can enter the English high school at twelve years of 
age, and remain three years. They are instructed in the 
higher branches of English education. Boys can enter 
the Latin grammar school when nine years old. At this 
school they study Latin and Greek, and are fitted for 
college. The normal school is for the education of those 
who wish to become teachers. To be well educated is 
one of the greatest blessings a child can enjoy ; and the 
people of Boston have taken care that no child in the 
city, who is studious and well disposed, shall want this 
blessing. Besides the schools I have mentioned, there are 
in Boston a great number of private schools. 

At South Boston is the Perkins Institution for the 
Blind, so called after Mr. Thomas H. Perkins, who gave 
a house in which to establish it. This institution now 
occupies a large five-story building on the high land of 
South Boston, and a great many blind are collected and 
taught there. They have books made on purpose for 
them, in which the letters are raised so that they can feel 
them with their fingers. 

There is also, on Thompson's Island, in the harbor, the 
Boston farm school for indigent boys. This school is 
intended for boys who have no parents to take care of 
them, and who are in danger of becoming vicious and 
wicked. The Asylum for orphan girls is a handsome 



96 LETTER XXIX. 

building on Washington street. In addition to these, 
there are several other places in the city where orphan 
or indigent children are provided for and educated, so as 
to be able to get a living for themselves. I do not know 
any better thing that can be done than to save poor chil- 
dren from growing up idle, ignorant, and wicked, and 
putting them in the way to become useful and respect- 
able. 

There are in Boston several large public libraries. 
The largest is the Boston Athenaeum, on Beacon street. 
It occupies a large and handsome building. Besides the 
rooms filled with books, is one large room full of statues, 
and others at the top of the building filled with pictures ; 
but in order to see these you must pay an admission fee, 
and nobody can take books from the library except those 
who own shares in it. 

The city library on Boylston street is also a large and 
handsome building. Mr. Joshua Bates, a rich merchant 
of London, but who was born in Boston, has given a large 
sum of money to fill it with books. Anybody who lives 
in Boston can take books out of this library, merely by 
putting down his name. 

In Tremont street is kept the Boston museum, in a 
large and handsome stone building. This is a collection 
of all sorts of curiosities, filling several large halls and 
chambers. You would like very well to see them ; and, 
whenever you go to Boston, by paying a few cents you 
may see them all. There are a great many images of 
wax ; a great many skins of animals stuffed so as to look 
almost as if the animals were alive ; a great many curious 



LETTER XXTX. 



97 




98 LETTER XXIX. 1 j 

shells taken from the sea ; a great many snakes and other 

reptiles ; and all sorts of insects and birds, as well as a * 

great many fine pictures and prints, and other curiosities, 1' 

more than I can remember. 1 1 

"Wliat is said of schools in Boston 1 What children go to primary schools ? 
What to grammar schools ? At what age are boys admitted to the English 
liigh school "? To the Latin grammar school ? "For what is the normal 
school ? Where and how are blind children taught ? Which is the largest 
library in Boston ? Give some account of the Athenceum ? Of the Museum ? 
AYliat is said of the city library ? 



LETTER XXX. 

OTHER REMARKABLE THINGS IN BOSTON. 

Boston is a large and beautiful city, and there are a 
great many things in it worth seeing and knowing besides 
those I have spoken of. Some of them I will just men- 
tion ; but I shall not describe them at length, for fear you 
should grow tired of my letters. 

There are in Boston more than a hundred churches, 
some of which, with their tall spires, are very handsome. 
It is very pleasant on a still Sabbath morning to hear all 
the bells ringing to call the people to meeting. 

Faneuil hall is a noble and elegant building. The 
great hall in it is seventy-six feet square, and twenty- 
eight feet high. It is used for public meetings of the 
citizens. 

Boston is the shire town of Suffolk county. It has a 
large court house, and a very large jail, both of stone. 
The city hall is a handsome stone building, with an open 
space before it, beautifully planted with flowers ; and 
in the square, south east of it, stands a statue of Frank- 
lin, a very wise and good man, who was born in Boston. 
It was Franklin who invented lightning rods. It fronts 
on School street. On the same street is Horticultural 
hall, a small but handsome building, where there is an 

(99) 



100 



LETTER XXX. 




Hanover Street Church 



LETTER XXX. 101 

exhibition every week of fruits and flowers. The mer- 
chant's exchange, a large, handsome granite building, is 
in State street. The post office is kept in this building. 
The old State House, now occupied for stores, is at the 
front of this street. State street is lined with hand- 
some stone buildings, mostly used for banks and insur- 
ance offices, of which there are a great number in Boston. 
The object of the insurance companies is to protect per- 
sons against loss by fire, or by storms at sea. By paying 
one of these companies a certain sum every year, the 
company will agree, if your ship is lost, or your house 
or furniture burnt up, to pay you the full value. Some 
of them will also agree, if a person will pay them a mod- 
erate amount every year, whenever that person happens 
to die, to pay over a much larger sum for the benefit of 
his family. The banks keep money to lend to persons 
who wish to borrow, and who can give good security to 
pay it back. Those who borrow pay interest for the use 
of it. Legal interest is six dollars for the use for a year 
of a hundred dollars, or six cents for one dollar. The 
bills of these banks circulate the same as money, and are 
commonly considered to be money. But if you read one 
of them you will find that it is only a promise by the 
bank to pay so much money to the bearer on demand. 
If you should carry one of these bills to the bank, and 
ask for your money in gold or silver, the bank would be 
obliged to give it to you. There is another kind of banks, 
called savings banks. They will take your money, some 
of them, in sums as small as five cents ; keep it for you, 
and pay it back when you want it, with interest. I should 

9* 



102 



LETTER XXX. 



think it would be much better to put the money you get 
into one of these banks, than to spend it all for toys and 
sugar-plums. In that way, by the time you were grown 
up, you might have a handsome sum of money to com- 
mence business with. 

Besides the buildings I have mentioned, there are also 
in Boston several theatres, where plays are acted ; and 
several large and beautiful halls for musical concerts, and 
other purposes. 

Among the largest and handsomest buildings are some 
of the hotels for the entertainment of the numerous 
strangers who visit the city. 

In Boston there are numerous printing-offices, where 
books are printed; and bookstores, where books are sold. 
At the different printing-offices there are printed a great 
number of newspapers. Some are published six times a 
week, others three times, some twice, and some once a 
week. These papers are carried by the railroads into all 
parts of the country. There are printing-offices, and 
newspapers are pubHshed in all the larger towns, as well 
as in Boston; but much more work of this sort is done 
here than in all the rest of the State. 

I have now been a long time giving you an account of 
the county of Suffolk, and of the city of Boston. In sev- 
eral of the following letters I shall go on to describe the 
other counties ; but before doing so I must write you a 
letter on the railroads of Massachusetts. 



How many churches in Boston ? Wliat are banks ? Insurance offices 1 
What is Faneuil hall ? What otlier remarkable buildings ? What is a bank? 
What is a savings bank ? ^Vliat is an insurance company for ? What is 
said of the Boston newspapers ? 



LETTER XXXI. 

RAILROADS OF MASSACHUSETTS. 

Some of the most remarkable structures in Boston are 
those connected with the raikoads, of which, before leav- 
ing the city, I must give you some account. A railroad, 
as I dare say you know already, is a road so contrived 
that the wheels of the carriages, instead of rolling on the 
ground, roll along on smooth strips or rails of iron, sup- 
ported on pieces of wood, called sleepers. On such a 
road a horse can drag about twenty times as much as on 
a common road. There are a number of horse railroads 
leading a short way out of Boston to the neighboring 
towns, but on most of the railroads horses are not used. 
Instead of horses, railroad engines are employed, which 
go by steam, and drag the cars very fast indeed. A 
horse cannot go for any distance more than ten miles an 
hour ; and, if he is used every day, he cannot be driven 
more than twenty or thirty miles a day. A railroad en- 
gine can drag a long train of heavy cars, which it would 
take many horses to move, at the rate of twenty and even 
of forty miles an hour ; and can travel day and night for 
a long time. The engine, however, must stop every 
twenty or thirty miles to be fed. It must have water to 
make steam of, and wood to make it with, and oil to 

(103) 



104 



LETTER XXXI. 




LETTER XXXI. 105 

grease the machinery and the wheels, so that they may 
run smoothly. In Massachusetts the passenger trains 
run from twenty to thirty miles an hour ; but the freight 
trains not quite so fast. 

When I was a boy there were no railroads, and all the 
travelHng was done in stages. There were lines of stages 
that ran from Boston in all directions. It took two days 
to go from Boston to Berkshire county; and when the 
roads were bad you would have to ride all night. Now 
you can go by railroad in six hours. By means of the 
railroads all parts of the State are brought within a short 
day's ride of Boston. There are eight principal rail- 
roads running out of Boston. The Eastern railroad runs 
through Chelsea, Lynn, and Salem, to Newburyport, 
where it crosses the Merrimack by a bridge, and runs 
by Salisbury into New Hampshire. The Maine railroad 
runs through Somerville, Maiden, Reading, Andover, and 
across the Merrimack to Lawrence and Haverhill, and 
thence into New Hampshire. The Lowell railroad runs 
to Lowell, where it joins another railroad which follows 
the Merrimack into New Hampshire. The Fitchburg 
railroad runs through Concord to Fitchburg, in the north 
part of Worcester county ; here it joins the Vermont 
and Massachusetts railroad, which leads to and across the 
Connecticut river, and up that river into Vermont. The 
Worcester railroad runs through Brighton, Newton, and 
Framingham, to Worcester, where it joins the Western 
railroad, which runs west across the State into New 
York. The Providence railroad runs through Norfolk 
and Bristol counties to Providence, in Ehode Island. 



106 LETTER XXXI. 

The New York and Boston railroad runs through Nor- 
folk county into the south part of Worcester county, 
where it joins another road leading into Connecticut. 
The Old Colony railroad runs into Plymouth and Bristol 
counties, and connects with the Cape Cod railroad, lead- 
ing into Barnstable county. All these railroads have 
branches, which lead off to towns not on the main line. 
They also connect with other roads which cross different 
parts of the State. Thus, there is a railroad up the Mer- 
rimack from Newburyport to Haverhill ; one from Salem 
to Lawrence, called the Essex railroad ,• one from Lowell 
to Worcester; one from Worcester to Providence; one 
from Worcester south into the State of Connecticut ; one 
up and down the Connecticut river. Altogether, there 
are more than a thousand miles of railroads in Massa- 
chusetts. 

Railroads can go up and down hill, but only very grad- 
ually. It is necessary in some places to dig through hills 
and great ledges of rock, and in others to raise high em- 
bankments by which to cross valleys. Six of the eight 
railroads pass out of Boston by great bridges, and the 
other two on causeways built through the shallow water. 
It is necessary to have large buildings in which to keep 
the cars and engines when not in use, and in which the 
passengers can wait, and the freight cars be loaded and 
unloaded. This is the case in other cities, but still more 
so in Boston, where so many railroads centre. 



What is the advantage of raih'oads ? How are the cars moved ? How fast ? 
How many principal railroads lead out of Boston ? Kame them. Tell in 
what direction and throug-li what counties each of these roads nms. What 
♦^her railroads in the State ? How many miles of raikoad in the State? 



LETTER XXXT. 



107 




LETTER XXXII. 

NORFOLK COUNTY. — CITY OF ROXBURY AND OTHER TOWNS. 

Passing out of Boston over the N'eck, we enter the city 
of Roxbiiry, which joins Boston in such a manner as to 
seem part of the same city. This town received its name 
from its very rough and rocky surface. It does not con- 
tain any pubHc institutions of importance, but has a great 
number of beautiful private houses, delightfully situated, 
and surrounded with trees and gardens. 

Dorchester and Brookline, joining Boston, or separated 
from it only by the water, have much excellent land, as 
also has West Roxbury. These towns are cultivated like 
gardens, and scattered over them are many beautiful 
country seats, owned by rich gentlemen in Boston. 
Nothing can be more beautiful than a ride through these 
towns. 

South of Dorchester are Milton and Quincy. At Quincy 
are large quarries of granite. The stone of which the 
Bunker Hill monument is built was brought from this 
place. From the quarries to the landing-place on Nepon- 
set river, a distance of about three miles, is a railroad to 
carry the stone upon. 

At Milton are the Blue Hills, the highest land in the 
neighborhood of Boston. Dedham, the shire town of the 

(108) 



LETTER XXXII. 109 

county, is on Charles river. This is a handsome town, 
with a court-house and jail. Here also are some consid- 
erable factories. Dedham is ten miles southwest from 
Boston. 

Norfolk county is well watered by Charles and Nepon- 
set rivers. These rivers are, in part, united by a stream 
called Mother brook, which is considered to be a great curi- 
osity. This brook begins at Dedham, and carries about 
a third of the water of Charles river into the Neponset. 
At Franklin and Bellingham, in the southwest corner of 
the county, and at Canton, on Neponset river, are consid- 
erable cotton and w^oollen factories. 

The most eastern town in the county is Cohasset, 
which is wholly cut off from the rest of the county by 
the town of Hingham, in Plymouth county. It is washed 
by the ocean, and in the summer is a favorite resort. 

Where is Norfolk county ? Wliat is said of Iloxbury 1 What towns in 
the northeast part of the county, and what is said of them ? What is there 
remarkable at Quincy ? Wliat at Milton 1 What is the shire toy»'n, where is 
it, and what is said of it ? What is said of Mother brook ? What of Cohas- 
set? 

10 



LETTER XXXIII. 

PLYMOUTH COUNTY. — PLYMOUTH AND OTHER TOWNS. 

Plymouth is the oldest county in the State, and the 
shire town of the county, also called Plymouth, is the 
oldest town. This town is situated thirty-seven miles 
southeast from Boston, on a bay called Plymouth Bay. 
It contains a great deal of land ; near the shore the land 
is pretty good, but farther back it is barren, and much of 
it is yet covered with woods. Here is a spacious harbor, 
but it is shallow and exposed to the east winds. Ply- 
mouth has some trade and manufactures, and many fish- 
ing vessels. If you go to Plymouth, the people there 
will show the first well that was dug in Massachusetts. 
They will also show you the rock on which the people 
who first came to settle in Plymouth stepped, when they 
landed from the ship. This rock is on the seashore, but 
they have split off a great piece of it and moved it up 
into the town. The people who first came to settle here 
are called the Pilgrims. A pilgrim is a person who 
travels a great way on account of religion. The per- 
sons who have descended from these first settlers, have 
formed a society, called the Pilgrim society ; and they 
have erected in this town an elegant building of stone, 
called Pilgrim hall, in which they have their meetings. 

(110) 



LETTER XXXin. Ill 

Every year, on the 22nd of December, they celebrate the 
day on which the Pilgrims landed. 

North of Plymouth, but on the same bay, are Kingston 
and Duxbury; they are considerable towns, and have 
some trade. The country all around is flat and sandy, 
but there are some pleasant towns. Ilingham, in the 
northern part of the county, is noted for the manufac- 
ture of pails, tubs, boxes, and all other kinds of wooden 
ware ; here, also, is a manufactory of umbrellas. Adjoin- 
ing Hingham on the north is the town of Hull. This 
town comprises the peninsula of Nantasket, which forms 
the southeast barrier of Boston harbor ; that is, protects 
the harbor from the sea in that direction. It extends 
nearly five miles, and is celebrated for its beautiful beach 
four miles long. At the end of the beach is a fine high- 
land, on which is'the ancient town of Hull. Though very 
old, it is very little, having less than three hundred inhab- 
itants ; but in the summer-time, like Hingham, and the 
neighboring town of Cohasset, it is much resorted to. 
It is twenty-two miles from Boston by land, and nine by 
water. 

In the western part of the county is the town of Mid- 
dleborough. Here is the largest pond in the State ; but 
what is most remarkable, they rake up from the bottom 
of this pond a great deal of iron ore. This ore looks like 
a reddish sort of stone. It is put into a very hot fire 
made of charcoal. The iron melts and runs from the ore. 
After the iron is separated from the other substances 
mixed with it, it is pounded out into bars, and then it is 
called bar iron. But much of the iron is made into pots, 



112 LETTER XXXm. 

kettles, stoves, and-irons, and many other things. They 
are made by letting melted iron run into a kind of moulds 
made in sand. 

Wareham, on Buzzard's bay, is also largely engaged in 
the iron manufacture. There are also manufactories of 
iron, especially of nails, tacks, and brads, at Abington, in 
the north part of the county ; but this town is more dis- 
tinguished for the manufacture of shoes. North Bridge- 
water, East Bridgewater, and West Bridgewater, adjoin- 
ing Abington on the southwest, are also flourishing towns. 
At Bridgewater, adjoining the others on the south, is a 
State alms-house and a State normal school. Rochester, 
a very extensive town on Buzzard's bay, has two har- 
bors, and some ship-building. Scituate, in the north part 
of the county, also has a small harbor, and is a pleasant 
town. 

What is said of Plymouth ? What are the people called who first landed at 
Plymouth ? Where are Kingston and Duxbury ? Where is Hingham, and 
for what is it famous ? What is said of Hull ? Wliere is Middleborough, and 
what is said of it ? Wareham ? How many Bridgewaters, and what is said 
of them ? Wliat business at Abington ? At Rochester ? Wliat is said of 
Scituate 1 



LETTER XXXIV. 

BARNSTABLE COUNTY. — BARNSTABLE, PROVINCETOWN, AND 
SANDWICH. 

Southeast of Plymouth county is Barnstable county, 
on the peninsula of Cape Cod. It is joined to Plymouth 
county by a neck of land about eight miles wide. Barn- 
stable county is generally sandy, and the eastern part is 
very barren. There is, however, a considerable quantity 
of land on the cape, which is well cultivated ; and there is, 
in some parts, a great deal of valuable wood-land. The 
county also has many cranberry and peat meadows. The 
cranberries are gathered for market and sold. 

The greater part of the people of this county get their 
living from the sea, — they are sailors and fishermen. 
Almost every town has a harbor. "Were it not for this, 
the cape would be much less valuable than it now is. 

In several places great quantities of salt are made from 
sea water. The water is pumped up by means of wind- 
mills into large shallow boxes made of planks or boards, 
called vats. The pumps are worked by machinery, which 
is turned by the wind. The water in the vats is exposed 
to the sun and air, and by degrees it dries up and leaves 
the salt. As the water dries up, the salt forms in beauti- 
ful pieces or lumps, called crystals. After all the salt 

10* (113) 



114 LETTER XXXIV. 

which the water in a vat contains, is formed, there re- 
mains a liquid called bittern. From this are made other 
substances, called Epsom salts, Glauber salts, and Mag- 
nesia. These are used in medicine. 

The shire town of Barnstable county is also called 
Barnstable. It is situated on an inlet or small bay at the 
bottom of Cape Cod bay. The land in this town is bet- 
ter than in most of the other towns on the cape. Barn- 
stable has a pretty good harbor, and considerable ship- 
ping. In the thickly settled part of the town the houses 
are generally neat, and many of them are elegant. It is 
sixty-six miles southeast from Boston. 

Provincetown is the last town on the cape. It bends 
round in the shape of a hook, and incloses a fine harbor, 
called Cape Cod harbor. From the water of the harbor 
to the water on the other side of the cape is about two 
miles. The town consists mostly of beaches, sand hills, 
shallow ponds, and a great number of swamps. Some 
green corn and other vegetables for summer use are 
raised in,gardens ; but nearly all the meat and vegetables 
used by the inhabitants are brought from Boston. The 
country is sandy and barren, bearing only a few small 
pines, and affording sedge, and beach grass for a num- 
ber of cows to eat during summer, and a quantity of 
salt hay for their support during winter. The village 
stands on the northwest side of the harbor, on the mar- 
gin of a beach of loose sand. The houses are mostly situ- 
ated on a street two miles long, passing round near the 
water's edge. The houses are generally neat in appear- 
ance, and all face the harbor. A chain of sand hills, partly 



LETTER XXXIV. . 115 

covered with shrubs and tufts of grass, rise behind the 
town. The whole space is occupied with wind-mills to 
pump up salt water to make salt. The people are en- 
gaged in the fisheries, in making salt, and in some foreign 
commerce. Their chief employment, however, is fishing. 
They catch vast quantities of cod, mackerel, and herring ; 
and they very often take large whales that come into the 
harbor. The boys go out to sea as soon as they are 
strong enough to pull up a codfish. The people are ac- 
tive and industrious, and generally get a comfortable 
living. Some of them are wealthy. 

Sandwich is situated on the neck of land which unites 
Barnstable county with Plymouth county. In this town 
more attention is paid to cultivating the earth than in 
any other town in the county. Near the centre of the 
town is a large and beautiful pond, a waterfall, and mills. 
It has also an important manufactory of glass. 

"Wliat is said of Barnstable county'? How is salt made of sea water "? 
Which is the shire town of Barnstable county ? Where is it, and what is said 
of it ? Where is Provincetown, and what is said of it ? What is said of 
Sandwich ? 






LETTER XXXV. 

BRISTOL COUNTY. — CITIES OF TAUNTON, FALL RIVER, AND 
NEW BEDFORD. — OTHER TOWNS. 

"West of Plymouth county is the county of Bristol. 
The western side of this county lies along the State of 
Rhode Island. Much of the land is flat and sandy. The 
county is watered by Taunton river, and several other 
smaller streams. As Taunton river approaches the sea, 
it spreads out into a bay, called Mount Hope bay. The 
greater part of this bay is in the State of Rhode Island. 
The shire town in Bristol county is the city of Taunton, 
the head of navigation on Taunton river, a pleasant and 
flourishing place. Here are a large number of cotton fac- 
tories, paper mills, nail factories, and iron works. Very 
beautiful britannia w^are is made here. A large asylum 
for the insane has been erected here at the expense of the 
State. Taunton is thirty-five miles south from Boston. 

The city of Fall River, in the southern part of the 
county, is one of the greatest manufacturing towns in the 
State. About two miles east of the town are some large 
ponds, which empty through Fall river into Taunton river. 
The fall is more than a hundred and thirty feet, and fur- 
nishes water power to carry a large number of factories. 

Fall river is also a seaport, and a large steamboat which 

(116) 



LETTER SXXY. 



117 



Lir " flii 




i\mi. 



t:ffi^'' 







118 LETTER XXXV. 

connects with the Old Colony railroad runs from it every 
evening to New York, and another arrives from New York 
every morning in time to take the railroad for Boston. 

The city of New Bedford, in the southeast corner of 
the county, is a very handsome and flourishing town. It 
is built on the west side of an inlet from Buzzard's bay, 
which makes a fine deep harbor. A great many large 
ships are owned here ; and New Bedford is largely en- 
gaged in the whale fisheries, and in the manufacture of 
spermaceti candles. It stands on ground that rises rap- 
idly from the shore ; and when approached by water or 
sea from the opposite shore of the harbor, presents a fine 
appearance. It is laid out with much regularity, the 
streets crossing each other at right angles, that is, so as 
to make squares, either exact squares or oblong squares. 
The buildings are mostly of wood, though some of the 
finest are of brick and stone. Those in the upper part 
of the town have ornamental grounds, and gardens that 
are very beautiful to look at. Fairhaven, opposite New 
Bedford, and connected with it by a bridge, is also a 
flourishing town. 

Pawtucket, separated from Ehode Island by the Paw- 
tucket river, is a considerable manufacturing place. At- 
tleborough, north of Pawtucket, is famous for the manu- 
facture of clocks, straw bonnets, and jewelry. 

I shall say nothing here about Duke's county and Nan- 
tucket, because I have already described them in giving 
an account of the islands of Massachusetts. 

In wliat part of the State is Bristol county ? What other State does it 
touch ? What river waters it, and what is said of this river 1 What is the 



LETTER XXXVI. 

EASTERN AND WESTERN COUNTIES. — WORCESTER COUNTY.— 
CITY OF WORCESTER AND OTHER TOWNS. 

The nine counties, Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk, Norfolk, 
Plymoutli, Barnstable, Bristol, Duke's county, and Nan- 
tucket, are called the eastern counties. They all touch 
the sea, and many of the people who live in them are 
engaged more or less in commerce and the fisheries. 
This is the oldest part of the State ; it is much more 
thickly settled than the other parts, and has more large 
towns. The other five counties are called the western 
counties. They do not touch the sea. They have no 
seaports or ships, and the people are mostly farmers. 
There is, however, in Worcester and Hampden counties, 
a good deal of manufacturing business. 

Worcester county is near the middle of the State, and 
extends from one side of it to the other, touching the 
State of New Hampshire on the north, and the States of 
Connecticut and Rhode Island on the south. This county 
is, in some parts, rough and hilly, and has many ponds 
and rivers. Five considerable rivers have their heads 

shire town, and what is said of it 1 Where is Fall River, and for what is it 
remarkable ? Where is New Bedford, and what is said of it 1 What other 
towns are mentioned 1 . 



120 LETTER XXXVI. 

near the middle of it. You may look for them on the 
map. They and their branches afford much water power, 
by which many factories are carried. The land in this 
county is generally good for grass, or for grain. The 
hills make excellent pastures, where a great many cattle 
are fed ; and great quantities of butter and cheese are 
made in this county. 

The shire town is the city of Worcester. It is near 
the middle of the county, and forty miles west of Boston, 
and is one of the largest inland towns in the State. It is 
situated in a beautiful valley, in which several streams 
unite, and form the Blackstone river. There is one fine 
street, called Main street, more than a mile long, straight, 
broad, and shaded with fine trees. Towards the south 
end of this street is a handsome common. At the other 
end is the court-house, and the building belonging to the 
American Antiquarian society, which contains a large 
library and many curiosities. West of Main street the 
land rises into a beautiful hill, on which are many fine 
buildings. East of Main street it sinks into a valley, and 
then rises in another swell, on which is the State lunatic 
asylum, a very large building. The Roman Catholic col- 
lege has a fine situation on a rounded hill southwest of 
the city. Five railroads, extending east, west, south, 
southeast, and north, centre at Worcester, and connect it 
with all parts of the county and the State. 

Leicester, six miles southwest of Worcester, is a con- 
siderable town. Here is a respectable academy, which 
has been established many years, a large cotton factory, 
a scythe factory, and an establishment for making cards. 



LETTER XXXVT. 



121 




122 LETTER XXXVI. 

Lancaster, fifteen miles northeast of Worcester, is the 
oldest town in the county ; it is situated at the meeting 
of two large branches of Nashua river, and along their 
banks is some very rich and beautiful interval. There is 
at Lancaster an industrial school for girls. It is designed 
for the instruction and the reformation of poor unfor- 
tunate girls who have done something wrong, for which 
they might be sent to jail or the house of correction ; or 
who, from their bad dispositions, or the temptations to 
which they are exposed, might be likely to do something 
wrong. There is a similar school for boys at West- 
borough, called the State reform school. Westborough 
is a beautiful farming town, twelve miles east of the city 
of Worcester. These two schools, that in Lancaster and 
that in Westborough, are supported partly by money 
given by benevolent persons, and partly at the expense 
of the State. It is certainly a great deal better to take 
those poor children and try to make them better, and to 
put them in the way of getting an honest living, than to 
leave them to grow up thieves and vagabonds, as they 
otherwise might do. But I do hope none of you chil- 
dren will ever be so bad, or so destitute of friends to 
take care of you, as to be sent to these schools. 

Leominster, near Lancaster, is remarkable for the man- 
ufacture of combs, and Sterling for chairs and hats. 
There are large factories of cotton and woollen cloths at 
Clinton and Fitchburg, on a branch of the Nashua. 

Millbury, Grafton, Milford, TJxbridge, and Blackstone, 
in the southeast part of the county, are also important 



! 



LETTER XXXVI. 



123 




124 LETTER XXXVI. 

manufacturing towns. They derive their water power 
from Blackstone river and its branches. At Mendon, 
near by, is one of the State alms-houses. 

Which of the counties are called the eastern counties ? What are the other 
five counties called 1 Wliat is said of the eastern counties ? What of the 
western ? Where is Worcester county 1 l^Tiat is said of it ? What is the 
shure town, and what is said of it? AVhere is Lancaster, and what is said of 
it ? For what are Leominster and Sterling remarkable 1 Are there any fac- 
tories in this county, and where ? 






LETTER XXXVII. 

FRANKLIN COUNTY. — GREENFIELD AND OTHER TOWNS. 

West of Worcester lie the three counties of Frankhn, 
Hampshire, and Hampden. They formerly made but one 
county, called Hampshire. Through the middle of these 
three counties the Connecticut river passes, and on its 
banks are found much excellent land, and many fine 
towns. Back from the river on both sides the land be- 
comes hilly 5 in some places it is rocky ; in others there 
are large sandy plains ; but generally the soil is fertile 
and well cultivated. 

Franklin, on its northern side, touches the States of 
New Hampshire and Vermont. As you descend the Con- 
necticut, the first town in the county, on the eastern 
bank of the river, is Northfield. Here is a handsome 
village, consisting of one street, about a mile long. A 
great part of this town is excellent land, particularly the 
meadows, or interval. 

Farther down the river, on the other side, is Green- 
field, the shire town of the county. This is a beautiful 
and flourishing town. The village is on a high plain. It 
has two streets which cross each other. The houses are 
generally handsome, some of them elegant, and several 
of them of brick. Greenfield is about a hundred miles 

11* (125) 



126 LETTER XXXVII. 

northwesterly from Boston. Next below Greenfield is 
Deerfield. Deerfield river, a large and beautiful stream, 
winds through the town, and passing through a large tract 
of the richest interval in Massachusetts falls into the Con- 
necticut. A steep hill, called Deerfield mountain, sep- 
arates Deerfield meadows from the Connecticut river. 
The prospect of these meadows, from the top of this 
mountain, just behind the village, is very fine. The 
people are mostly farmers. They have a small piece of 
land about their houses, called the home lot, while the 
rest of their farms lie at some distance. The same thing 
is common in other towns on the Connecticut. 

Opposite to Deerfield, on the other side of the river, is 
Montague. These two towns are joined together by a 
bridge across the Connecticut. In Montague the Con- 
necticut runs down a rocky and steep place, where the 
water foams and looks as white as snow. This place is 
known by the name of Montague Falls. Around these 
falls is a canal, that boats may pass up and down. 

What three counties west of Worcester 1 What river passes through these 
counties 1 What is said of the land and the towns on the river ? What is 
said of the land at a distance from the river ? What States does Franklin 
county touch on the north side ? Where is Northfield, and what is said of it ? 
Where is Greenfield, and what is said of it ? What is said of Deerfield 1 Of 
^Montague, and the falls ? 



LETTER XXXVIII. 

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY. — NORTHAMPTON AND OTHER TOWNS. 

South of Franklin county is Hampsliire. Hatfield and 
Hadley are fine towns on the Connecticut, very much 
like the river towns which I have already described. 

Northampton, the shire town of the county, is one of 
the most beautiful country towns in the State. It is on 
the west side of the Connecticut, near the middle of the 
county. Mount Tom and Mount Holyoke, which are near 
by, give much beauty to the scenery. The land is inter- 
val and rich. The village is built on ten streets, that 
stretch out from one centre. Here is a large hospital for 
the insane, built by the State. This town is connected 
with Hadley, on the other side of the river, by a fine 
bridge, supported on six stone piers. Northampton is 
ninety-five miles west from Boston. 

Eight miles northeast of Northampton is Amherst, a 
fertile and beautiful town. Here is a college, called 
Amherst college. The college buildings are delightfully 
situated on a swell of land, presenting an extensive pros- 
pect to the west over the valley of the Connecticut. At 
Ware, in the southeast corner of the county, are large 
cotton and woollen manufactories. 

"What county lies south of Franklin ? What is the shire town, and what is 
said of it ? Wliere is Amherst, and what is said of it ? What college and 
schools are here 1 Where is Ware, and for what is it remarkable ? 

(127) 



LETTER XXXIX. 

HAMPDEN COUNTY. — CITY OF SPEINGFIELD AND OTHER TOWNS. 

South of Hampshire is Hampden county, which touches 
the' State of Connecticut. The city of Springfield, on the 
east side of Connecticut river, is the shire town, and a 
fine town it is. It is built on a rich piece of high inter- 
val. Back from the river is a high sloping bank, which 
runs about the same course with the river. On this bank 
are many handsome houses, which overlook the rest of 
the town. At the top of the bank begins a sandy plain, 
w^hich extends back several miles. Below this bank is 
the principal street, which runs three miles along the 
river. The buildings are all neat, and many of them are 
elegant. Here are a court house, a jail, an elegant city hall, 
and a fine bridge, connecting the city with West Spring- 
field. The Western railroad crosses the Connecticut on 
another bridge, and the depot and other railroad build- 
ings are very large. The United States have an exten- 
sive armory here. An armory is a place where guns are 
made or kept. West Springfield, on the opposite side of 
the Connecticut, is a pleasant and fruitful town. West- 
field is a very pleasant and flourishing town on the West- 
field river. The county of Hampden is well watered by 
the Chicopee and Westfield rivers. The town of Chico- 

(128) 



LETTER XXXIX. 



129 




130 '' LETTER XXXIX. 

pee, near the mouth of that river, and adjoining Spring- 
field, is a large manufacturing place. At Holyoke, nine 
miles from Springfield, is a great fall in the Connecticut 
river. A dam has been built here, a canal dug, and sev- 
eral large factories placed upon it. The water power is 
very great, and it is expected that Holyoke will become 
a great manufacturing place. There are also factories at 
Palmer, in the eastern part of the county. 

Where is the county of Hampden 1 Which is the shire town, and what is 
said of it 1 What remarkable establishments arc here ? What rivers flow 
through this county 1 Where are Chicopee, Holyoke, and Palmer, and what 
is said of them ? 






LETTER XL. 

BERKSHIRE COUNTY. — LENOX, PITTSFIELD, AND OTHER TOWNS. 

The most western county of Massachusetts is Berk- 
shire. It runs across the whole breadth of the State. 
On the north it touches Vermont, on the south it touches 
Connecticut, and along its western side is the State of 
New York. Berkshire, as I have told you before, is very 
hilly, and in some places mountainous. All hilly coun- 
tries have many ponds, and brooks, and rivers ; and, by 
looking on the map, you will see that four considerable 
rivers and a great many smaller ones have their sources 
or heads in this county. The soil of this county is gen- 
erally excellent. 

The shire town is Lenox, one hundred and twenty-five 
miles west from Boston, and pleasantly situated on the 
Housatonic river. The village is on a gentle slope, and 
on one principal street. The place is almost surrounded 
by mountains, and the scenery is beautiful. Iron ore is 
found here in great abundance, and w^iite marble is so 
plentiful as to be used for door-steps. Large quarries 
of it are w^orked in various places. 

North of Lenox, in a fertile valley where two rivers 
meet to form the Housatonic, is Pittsfield. In the centre 
of the town is a beautiful village ; the rest of it is divided 

(131) 



132 LETTER XL. 



1 



into rich and well cultivated farms. Here is the Berk- 
shire Medical Institution, where young men study med- 
icine and learn to be physicians. 

In the northwest corner of the county, at the meeting 
of two branches of the Hoosick river, is Williamstown. 
The Hoosick runs northwest into the State of Vermont; 
afterward it passes into New York, and empties into the 
Hudson, a great river of that State. At Williamstown is 
a large and handsome village ; and here, too, is Williams' 
college, founded by Colonel Ephraim Williams, a worthy 
gentleman who lived more than a hundred years ago. 

There are five colleges in Massachusetts : Harvard 
University, Williams' college, Amherst college. Tufts' 
college, and the CathoHc college. Any youth who 
chooses to study may get a very good education at 
either of them. 

Stockbridge, south of Lenox, is a pleasant and fertile 
town, situated on the Housatonic. At North Adams are 
important manufacturing establishments for cotton and 
other goods. 



Where is Berkshire, and what is said of it 1 Wliat is the shire town, and 
what is said of it ? AVliere is Pittsfield, and what is said of it? Where is 
Williamstown, and what college is there ? Where is Stockbrid;?e ? 



LETTER XLI. 

OUR TRAVELS OVER THE STATE. — HOW DIFFERENT IT WAS 
BEFORE THE WHITE PEOPLE CAME. 

I SUPPOSE that by this time you are almost tired with 
reading about towns. No wonder if such Httle folks 
should be tired with travelling all over the State, for, you 
see, we have been from one end of Massachusetts to the 
other, and have stopped at all the principal towns on the 
way. I do not expect you will remember what I have 
told you about the different towns, by reading my letters 
once or twice over. If you wish to remember them, you 
must read them over a great many times, and look out all 
the towns on the map, and study very carefully to answer 
the questions. I do not suppose that all my letters will 
please you alike ; but then you must consider, that those 
letters which are not the most pleasant to read may be 
the most important to be remembered. 

It is very necessary for every child of Massachusetts 
to know a good deal about the Commonwealth ; and it is 
for this reason that I have taken the pains to write these 
letters. It is much easier, and commonly more pleasant, 
to read letters, than to write them ; but, as I hope you 
read carefully and study well what I write, I take great 
pleasure in writing. Nothing pleases a father more than 

12 (133) 



134 LETTER XLT. 

to find his children ready and willing to learn ; and it is 
good news Avhen he is told that they behave well at 
school, and are good scholars. I hope I shall always hear 
this of you. 

You see, by what I have written in the preceding let- 
ters, that there are a great many fine cities and towns, 
and beautiful villages, and well cultivated farms, and 
handsome houses, and large factories, scattered over the 
State. There are vrharves, ships, warehouses, and rail- 
roads ; there are schools, colleges, and churches ; and 
there are a great many other things which make Massa- 
chusetts a very pleasant land. But two hundred and fifty 
years ago there were no such things in the State. It was 
nearly all one great forest, and nothing lived in it but 
bears and other wild beasts, and Indians almost as wild 
as the beasts. You will like very well to hear about 
Massachusetts as it used to be before the white people 
came to it, and about their first settling here. I will tell 
you something of these things in my next letter. 



LETTER XLII. 

THE INDIANS WHO USED TO LIVE IN MASSACHUSETTS. 

I HAVE already told you that the white people first 
came to Massachusetts more than two hundred years 
ago. Before they came hither, the only people of the 
country were Indians. The Indians were a tall, w^ell- 
formed, active people. They had long, black, straight 
hair, black eyes, and very white, handsome teeth. Their 
color was brown, a little inclining to red. Their dress 
was made of the skins of wild beasts, but in warm weather 
they went almost naked. They used to paint their bodies, 
and especially their faces, with black, red, and white paint. 
They wore a sort of shoes on their feet, called moccasins, 
made of the skin of the deer, and ornamented very pret- 
tily with shells, feathers, and beads. They lived in low, 
smoky huts, called wigwams, which were made in a rude 
manner of small trees and bushes, and covered with bark, 
or mats. The wigwam had but one room, and no chim- 
ney. The fire was made in the middle, and the smoke 
went out through an open place in the top. The floor of 
the wigwam was the ground ; but the Indians laid down 
mats and skins to sleep on, especially in cold weather. 
They slept with the feet towards the fire. The Indians 
had no tame animals about their dwellings. They had 
no convenient furniture, nor utensils for cooking or eat- 

(135) 



136 LETTER XLII. 

ing. They had no chairs, stools, nor tables ; they had no 
pots nor kettles, except such as were made of clay. 
These kettles would not bear the fire, and they boiled 
their meat by filling them with water, and putting red 
hot stones into it. They roasted their fish or meat on 
the bare coals, and held it in their fingers to eat it. They 
had no salt to eat with their food, and very few vegeta- 
bles. They raised a few squashes and beans, a little corn 
and a few other things ; but these made up but a small 
part of their food. They parched their corn and pounded 
it into meal for bread, which they baked on a flat stone 
by the fire. 

The Indians had no iron; all their tools were made 
either of stone, of sea-shells, of bone, or of hard wood. 
They cut down trees as well as they could with their 
poor stone axes. They killed birds and beasts with the 
bow and arrow, or caught them in a sort of trap. Their 
arrow-heads were made of stone, their bow-strings of the 
sinews of the deer. They caught fish with a hook made 
of bone, or else in a sort of net. They had no ploughs 
nor hoes. They dug the earth with a stick or clam-shell. 
The women did the work on the ground, and the men did 
the hunting and fishing. The Indians were a very igno- 
rant people. They had no books. They could not read 
nor write a single word. They knew nothing about let- 
ters. They knew nothing about the true God and Sav- 
iour ; and all their thoughts of the future state, that is, 
the state after death, were very erroneous. 

The Indians lived together in tribes, and commonly 
built their towns by the sides of rivers, ponds, or lakes. 



LETTER XLII. 1^' 



An Indian town was only a few wigwams, built near each 
other. There were three large tribes of Indians in Mas- 
saclmsetts, and a great many small ones ; but the whole 
State, I should think, did not contain as many Indians as 
there are people now in the smallest city in the State. 

The Indians made very pretty little boats of birch bark, 
called canoes, in which they sailed on ponds and rivers, 
and along the shore of the sea. They also made beauti- 
ful little baskets of the twigs of trees, to put their corn 
and other things in, and mats to sleep on. The Indians 
were fond of smoking tobacco, and made convenient 
pipes of stone. They made bows of ash or walnut, which 
they used in hunting. They made a kind of beads of a 
shell which they found on the seashore. These beads 
they strung together, and out of the strings they made 
belts. These belts were often very pretty. The beads 
vere called wampum. There were three kinds of warn- 
pum, black, red, and white. The Indians valued it highly, 
and used it as money. 

The country was covered all over with thick, dark 
woods, except in the places where the Indians had their 
little towns. In the woods were a great number of wild 
beasts and birds, which the Indians hunted. It was a 
dismal country to look at; but the poor Indians liked it, 
because it was their home, and they knew of no better 
country. 

How long since the only people in Massachusetts were Indians ? What is 
said of the size and appearance of the Indians ? mat was their dress made 
of^ What sort of houses had they ? How did they get a Imng ? What 
were their tools made of ? What is said of their towns ? How many Indians 
were there in Massachusetts ? 
12* 



LETTER XLIII. 

WILD ANIMALS THAT USED TO BE HERE. 

The large animals which the Indians used to hunt were 
the moose, the deer, and the bear. 

The moose is a large, tall, and rather ugly animal; but 
the deer is very beautiful. The flesh of both is good for 
food, and is called venison. They feed upon grass and 
herbs in the summer, and upon the buds and bark of trees 
in the winter. They are very fond of the beautiful white 
Illy that grows in ponds, called the pond lily. There used 
to be great herds of them in Massachusetts, feeding in the 
summer on the meadows along the rivers. The moose is 
as tall as a horse, and has small, straight legs, with hoo/s 
like a sheep. He can run very fast, and when he runs 
his hoofs make a loud clattering noise. The male Las 
very large branching horns, and, what is very remarkable, 
the horns fall off every year and new ones grow out 
again. The female has no horns, and is much smaller 
than the male. The moose is of a dark gray or black 
color. 

The deer that used to be in this State was the red 
deer ; its shape was something like that of the moose, 
but it was much smaller and more slender, as well as 
much more beautiful 

(138) 



LETTER XLllI. 130 

The moose aud the deer were very useful to the Indians. 
Their flesh was excellent food; their skins were used to 
make moccasins, belts, and other articles of clothing; and 
their horns were made into spoons and ladles. In the 
woods on Cape Cod, I believe there are still a few deer 

left 

There wore two kinds of bears in Massachusetts, the 
black bear and the brown bear. They were as big as a 
laro-e hog. The black bear had short legs, and was gen- 
erally very fat. He did not eat flesh ; but lived on tender 
roots and plants, corn, berries, and grapes. The brown 
bear is sometimes called the ranging bear. x.e had 
longer legs, and a leaner body than the black bear. He 
used to catch the deer and other smaller animals and feed 
on their flesh. The bears of both kinds were very fond 

of honey. . , 

The bear has a coarse, shaggy hide, his" form is rude, 
and his step heavy and awkward. His feet have sharp 
claws, and he can climb the highest tree with great ease. 
With his fore paws he can strike a dreadful blow. He 
can rear himself upright on his hind feet, and can squeeze 
a man to death by clasping him with his fore legs. Ihe 
bear loves to be alone, and chooses his den in some lonely 
mountain or deep forest. Here he passes the greater 
part of the winter without stirring out. He lies and 
sleeps and sucks his paws, allwinter long, and comes out 
very lean in the spring. The flesh of the bear is good 
and his skin was very useful to the Indians. They caught 
the bear in a trap made of two logs. 

What large animals did tlie Indians use to hunt' Wlut is said of the 
moose ' What is said of the deer ? mat use did the Indians make of tlieir 



LETTER XLIY. 

OTHER WILD ANIMALS. 

Besides the animals which I wrote about in my last 
letter, there were many others that lived in the woods, 
when there were no people in Massachusetts but the 
Indians. 

The wolf used to be very common. His color was a 
sort of yellowish gray, with a dark stripe on the back. 
His shape was like that of the dog. He used to catch 
other animals,^ like the ranging bear. When the white 
people first came into Massachusetts, the wolf and rang- 
ing bear were very troublesome. They would catch 
lambs, calves, and pigs, and sometimes children ; but at 
last the woods were chiefly cut down, and the bears and 
wolves were killed, or driven away. 

The most terrible of all the wild beasts of Massachu- 
setts was the catamount. He was nearly as large as a 
bear. He looked like a monstrous great dark-colored 
cat. He had large, shining eyes, sharp teeth, and great 
paws, with long sharp nails. He could not run very flist, 

skins 1 Of their horns ? How many kinds of bears were there ? What is 
said of the black bear ? What is said of the brown bear ? Where does the 
bear choose his den ? How does he pass the winter ? 

(140) 



LETTER XLIV. 



141 



but be could leap to a great distance with astonishing 
swiftness. He used to climb trees and jump upon the 
deer as they passed by. He would kill them and suck 
their blood. The catamount, the wolf, the ranging bear, 
and many other beasts, are called beasts of prey, because 
they feed on other animals. 

^ Of the smaller wild animals, such as the fox, the wild- 
cat, the raccoon, the otter, the mink, the muskrat, the 
rabbit, the squirrel, there were a great many. The flesh 
of some of them is good, and others have very fine fur. 
Many of them still remain in the State ; but they are very 
scarce in the old towns, and their numbers are lessening 
every year. 

There was one very curious animal which used to be 
abundant in Massachusetts, but which I have not yet 
described, — I mean the beaver. The beaver is about as 
large as a small dog, with short legs and a broad flat tail. 
He has two very long and sharp fore teeth, with which he 
gnaws down poplars and wiUows, and other soft trees. 
The beavers live on roots, young wood, and the bark of 
trees. In the summer they wander about the meadows 
and thickets. But in the autumn they collect together, 
and build houses to live in during the winter. Beavers 
can swim and dive very well, and can live some time 
under water. They choose a place for their winter dwell- 
ing on the banks of a stream. Here they form a pond by 
l)uilding a dam across the stream. The dam is made of 
wood that drifts down the stream, of young wiflows, 
birches, and poplars, which the beavers gnaw down, and 
of stones and mud which they bring in their mouths or 



142 LETTER XLIV. 

between their paws. They make this dam very strong 
and thick. The dam stops the water and so makes a 
pond. On the edge of this pond the beavers build their 
houses, partly in the water and partly out of it. The 
houses are built of sticks and mud, and have regular 
arched roofs, and sometimes are two or three stories 
high. They are of various sizes, according to the num- 
ber of beavers that live in them. Five or six beavers 
live in some of the houses, ten or twelve in others, and 
some have twenty or thirty. These houses stand round 
the edge of the pond, forming a little village. The houses 
all have two entrances. One of them is under the water, 
so that when the pond is frozen the beavers can go under 
the ice ; the other entrance communicates with the land. 
The beavers do not build a new dam and new houses 
every year ; they often repair the old ones where they 
have lived before, and live there again. 

About the end of summer, the beavers cut down their 
wood, and collect their bark and roots. These they float 
down the river, and keep under the water to live on dur- 
ing the winter. When they eat they sit on their hind 
legs like a squirrel, and hold their food between their 
paws. When disturbed they plunge into the water, utter- 
ing a loud cry, and flapping the ground and the water 
with their tails. There used to be a great abundance of 
beavers in Massachusetts, and the Indians used to hunt 
them for the sake of their fur, which is very soft and 
glossy. 

I have now given you an account of the most impor- 
tant brute animals that used to live in Massachusetts 



LETTER XI.IV. ^"^^ 



before the white people came hither. There were then no 
oxen, nor cows, nor hogs, nor sheep, nor liorses, m the 
State These are all very useful animals ; and wo should 
find it very difficult to live comfortably without them. 
But the poor Indians had none of them ; they were 
brought hither by the white people. 

Nearly all the different sorts of birds that used to be in 
Massachusetts, when the Indians lived here, are still found 
in the State. The principal of them are the wild turkey 
the wild goose, the wild duck, and the pigeon. The flesh 
of these birds is very good. Pigeons are shot, or caught 
in nets, but they are not half so abundant as they used 
to be : and the wild turkey is only found in some of the 
mountains in Berkshire. What we call tame, or domes- 
tic fowls, except the turkey, were brought hither by the 

white people. . ., 

This is a pretty long letter ; but I dare say you will like 
it well enough to find the answers to all the questions 1 
am going to ask. 

mat is said of tlie wolf? What miscliief did tho wolves and bears use to 
do ? What has become of them 1 What was the most ternble wild beastin 
Massachusotts ? What did he look like ? Wbat else is sa,d of h,m 1 Why 
are some beasts called beasts of prey 1 mat is said of the smaller wJd an - 
mals that used to live in Massachusetts 7 What is satd ofthe beaver W 
is said of the houses in which they passed the winter 1 Wbat did the bea e 
live on 1 For what did tho Indians hunt the beaver! What .5 said of the 
birds of Massachusetts ? 



LETTER XLV. 

INDIAN WARS. — SETTLEMENT OF WHITE MEN IN MASSACHU- 
SETTS. 

Before the white people came to live in Massachusetts, 
the Indians were about as wild as any of the wild animals. 
They used to have wars among themselves. Some of the 
strongest and bravest men in each tribe had the com- 
mand, and were called sachems. They were very cruel 
in their wars. They used to kill the women and children, 
and scalp them ; that is, cut off a piece from the top of 
the head with the hair on. When they took any of the 
men alive, they used to tie them to a stake and burn 
them to death. This was horrid. It is very wicked to 
make war ; but the Indians were not so much to blame 
for it as the white people are, for they were ignorant and 
knew no better. 

When the white people first came to Massachusetts 
they lived very poorly, and had to work very hard for a 
long time. They came from England, on the other side 
of the great Atlantic ocean. England is about three 
thousand miles from Massachusetts, and is a part of Eu- 
rope. They came over in ships, and were a great many 
days on the water. The first people who settled in Mas- 
sachusetts came in a ship named the Mayflower. They 

(144) 



LETTER XLV. 145 



landed at Plymouth, which, you remember, is the oldest 
town in the State. There were one hundred and one of 
them. They landed in November, just as the wmter be- 
gan. They suffered so much from cold, and from want 
of proper food, that before the next spring forty-five of 
them died. These people, soon after they landed, made 
a league or agreement with the neighboring Indians, and 
lived in peace with them more than fifty years. This 
settlement was called the Plymouth colony. A colony is 
a number of people who go away from home to settle in 
a distant country. The first governor of Plymouth col- 
ony was Mr. John Carver. 

Eight years after the settlement of Plymouth, Captain 
Endicott came over from England, with a number of peo- 
pie, and made a settlement at Salem. A number of peo- 
ple engaged in the fisheries, and connected with a Mr. 
Conant, had two years before removed from Cape Ann 
into the neighborhood of what is now called Salem. 
Two years after, seventeen ships sailed from England, 
containing fifteen hundred persons. They landed at 
Salem and Charlestown ; but many of them soon removed 
to Boston, while others settled in Watertown, Dorches- 
ter, Roxbury, Cambridge, Medford, and Lynn. Plymouth, 
Salem, and Boston, maybe considered as the three mother 
towns of Massachusetts. Charlestown was indeed settled 
soon after Salem, and more than a year before Boston ; 
but most of the settlers moved into Boston, which soon 
became the chief i)lace in the colony. 

Plymouth was called Accomack by the Indians. Salem 
was called Naumkcag. Boston was called Shawmut. 



13 



146 LETTER XLV. 

The people of Salem and the people of Boston had the 
same governor, and were called the colony of Massachu- 
setts Bay. Their first governor was John Winthrop. So, 
you see, there were two colonies in Massachusetts when 
the State was first settled, the colony of Plymouth and 
the colony of Massachusetts Bay. Each colony had its 
own governor. About seventy years after the State was 
first settled, the two colonies were united into one, and 
then there was only one governor for both. Plymouth 
colony contained what are now the counties of Ply- 
mouth, Bristol, and Barnstable ; and these counties are 
still spoken of sometimes as the Old Colony. Soon after 
the towns above mentioned were settled, more people 
came over from England and settled in other neighboring 
towns. They cut down the trees and planted corn ; they 
built houses and mills. They cleared the trees and bushes 
from the land, and raised grain and grass. They had cat- 
tle, sheep, horses, and hogs, brought over from England. 
They made roads, bridges, and fences ; they built meet- 
ing-houses, and had ministers ; they built school-houses, 
and had teachers ; and did a great deal besides to make 
Massachusetts a pleasant land to live in. 

What is said of the Indian wars ? In what part of Massachusetts did tlsc 
white people first settle ? What is said of the Plymouth colony ? Who was 
the first governor ? Wliere was the second settlement in Massachusetts made ? 
What town was settled next to Salem ? Who was the first governor ? How 
many colonies were there in Massachusetts when it was first settled, and what 
wgre they called ? When were they united into one "* 



LETTER XLVl. 

INTERCOURSE BETWEEN THE INDIANS AND WHITE PEOPLE.— 
yVARS. — THE INDIANS DESTROYED, OR DRIVEN AWAY. — 
COLORED PEOPLE. 

For many years after the white people came, they gen- 
erally lived in peace with the Indians. The Indians were 
kind to the white people, and the white people were kind 
to them. The Indians sold the skins of the deer, and 
bear, and beaver, to the white people, and bought blan- 
kets. These blankets they tied over their shoulders, and 
wore them as a dress. They also bought iron hatchets of 
the white people, which were much better than their own 
hatchets. They also bought knives and kettles. 

The Indians were very fond of looking-glasses, and 
glass beads, and other such trifles ; and they would give 
away furs worth a great deal in exchange for them. At 
first the Indians were very much afraid of the guns which 
the white people had. They did not know what to make 
of them. But after a while tliey botight guns, and learned 
to use them as well as the white men. 

After some time, when the white people had increased, 
and one town was settled after anotlier, the Indians be- 
gan to think that the white people would get away all 
their land. Then they were very sorry that they ever 

(147) 



148 LETTER XLVI. 

let the white people come hither to live ; and they made 
wars with the white people. They used to watch and 
shoot the white people as they went out into the fields 
to work, or as they were travelling or going to meeting. 
They used to come in the night and set the houses on 
fire, and kill the cattle, and the men, women, and children. 
They would likewise very often take the white people 
prisoners, and carry them away into the wilderness. The 
Indians would sometimes kill or take captive nearly all 
the people in a town, burn down all the houses, cut down 
all the fruit trees, and destroy everything they could. 
But the white people understood how to make war better 
than the Indians ; and though the Indians did a great 
deal of mischief, they were commonly beaten at last. 
After a while, the white people became so strong that 
they killed and drove away almost all the poor Indians ; 
and now there are not more than a thousand Indians in 
the State. These are scattered about in different places ; 
but most of them live in Barnstable county and Dukes 
county. They are a poor, weak, miserable people ; and 
not at all like the fierce Indians that used to be in Massa- 
chusetts. 

In Massachusetts there arc also, besides these Indians, 
several thousand other people, called colored people, be- 
cause their skin is very dark. They are found in small 
numbers in almost all parts of the State. Many of them 
are industrious, sober, and well behaved, and get a com- 
fortable living. Their children go to school, and learn to 
read, write, and cipher, like the white children. These 
colored people have descended from persons who were 



LETTER XLVI. 



149 



brought a great many years ago frpm Africa, a very large 
and liot country on the other side of the great ocean. 
All the people of Africa are black or dark-colored. The 
colored people of Massachusetts were once slaves. They 
were bought and sold by the white people, and made to 
work for them. But the white people of Massachusetts 
now think it is wicked to buy and sell men. They think 
all men are born free and equal ; therefore the law of the 
State forbids slavery. 

How did the white people live with the Indians for many years 1 Wliat was 
the cause of the wars with the Indians ? What finally became of the Indians ? 
AVhat is said of colored people in Massachusetts ? From whom have they de- 
scended '? What formerly was their condition in this State ? Arc there now 
any slaves in Massachusetts ? Why is not slavery allowed ? 
13* 



LETTER XLYII 



MORE ABOUT THE INDIANS. 



It seems to be a great pity that the Indians and the 
white people could not have lived peaceably together till 
now. If the Indians were still here, it seems as if we 
might do a great deal to teach and to comfort them ; but 
they are all gone, except the few which I mentioned in 
my last letter. When I say that the Indians are gone, I 
mean gone from Massachusetts. In some other States 
there are many Indians still living ; and good white peo- 
ple are trying to teach them how to plough, and hoe, and 
raise grain ; how to build good warm houses ; how to 
spin, and weave, and make good clothes ; how to read and 
write and cipher ; but, above all things, they are trying to 
teach them to behave well, to read the Bible, and live as 
God requires. You ought to be very glad that good 
people are trying to teach the poor Indians so many 
things ; and be wilHng to give something, if you have it 
to spare, to support and assist them in doing all the good 
they can to the poor Indians. I am very happy to say, 
that in many places the Indians are beginning to improve. 
Some Indian children are learning to read, and write, and 
cipher, like the children of Massachusetts. And some 
young and elderly people among the Indians are pious 
Christians. 

(150) 



LETTER XLVII. 



151 



You ought to be thankful that those terrible times are 
past, when parents were in continual fear for their own 
lives and the lives of their children ; when the men were 
afraid to go to work in their fields without carrying their 
guns ; and when families dreaded to see the sun go down 
lest the Indians should come in the night and murder and 
scalp them, or carry them away into captivity. In those 
terrible times children fared very differently from what 
they now do. They were not clothed, nor fed so well as 
they now are ; they had but few schools to go to, and 
there was not an academy in all the State. It is very 
different now. The Massachusetts children now have all 
tlie advantages they can reasonably ask, and I hope they 
will not fail to improve them. 



LETTER XLYIII. 



CONCLUSION. — ADVICE. 



I HAVE now written a large number of letters to you, 
which I trust you have read with pleasure and profit; 
and which I wish you to read again and again, till you 
remember the principal matters they contain. If you 
thus read and remember, you will have a very good 
knowledge of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ; and 
you will be very likely to be pleased with reading about 
other States and countries. Children that love books 
commonly acquire a good education ; and, if their beha- 
viour is good, they are sure to make their parents and 
friends very happy. I shall now finish this course of let- 
ters by some reflections and advice, which I hope you 
will be disposed to read with great attention. 

From the letters I have written concerning the Com- 
monwealth of Massachusetts, you have learned that the 
people of this State are highly favored. God has given 
us a good land, and we ought to be very thankful for it. 
With dihgence and economy, everybody who is able to 
work can get a comfortable living. Parents can provide 
food, and clothing, and houses for themselves and their 
children ; and no person in the State has need to suficr 
for want of the necessaries of life. 

(152) 



LETTER XLVIII. 153 

But the principal things that make Massachusetts a 
good land to live in, are these : We have the Bible, 
which teaches the will of God, and the way of salvation 
by Jesus Christ. "We have the Sabbath, or Lord's Day, 
which affords the people an opportunity for meeting to- 
gether to worship God, and to hear the Gospel preached. 
We have schools of various kinds, at which our sons and 
daughters may acquire so much good learning as to be 
fitted for useful employment. We have Sabbath-schools, 
for the instruction of children and young persons in the 
Bible, and in all their duty to God and mankind. We 
have a free and good government, which the people have 
established by their own authority and will ; and we have 
good laws for the preservation of order, uprightness, and 
peace. All these good things we have ; and my desire is, 
that you would love the Commonwealth, and do all you 
can to make it prosper. 

But perhaps you may ask. What can children do to 
promote the welfare of the State ? I will tell you. Chil- 
dren can remember their Creator and learn his will ; they 
can avoid using profane and wicked language ; they can 
honor their father and their mother ; they can be kind 
and tender-hearted, modest and virtuous ; they can be 
honest and true in all their dealings with others, and in 
all they say of them ; they can avoid the sin of wishing 
to have what does not belong to them ; and can be happy 
when they see others in possession of good things, which 
they themselves have not. Children can learn to say, and, 
by the help of God, they can learn to keep, the command- 
ments. They can behave well at school, and make good 



154 LETTER XLVIII. 

improvement in learning ; they can behave well at home, 
and be pleasant, useful, and faithful to their parents and 
friends. Children can be sorry for their sins. "Whenever 
they have done wrong, they can consider the evil of it, 
and they can pray to God to forgive their sins, and help 
them to be good children. And He will help them, if 
they pray in sincerity. He will give the Holy Spirit to 
all who feel aright their need of His help. The Bible 
teaches us to pray, because God hears and answers 
prayer; and in all ages of the world, those who have 
sincerely desired and endeavored to do His will, have 
been assisted in doing it. 

Now, if the children of Massachusetts were all good, 
and behaved toward God, toward their parents, toward 
one another, and toward all persons, as children ought to 
behave, then we should have the happiest Commonwealth 
on the face of the earth. Such children, when grown up, 
would be good men and women. They would be friends 
to religion, friends to good ministers, friends to schools 
and good learning, friends to their country, and friends 
to all mankind. 

I suppose you are satisfied that a Commonwealth made 
up of good people must be happy and prosperous ; but 
then you are old enough to know that there are many 
wicked people in Massachusetts, and that there are many 
children who are naughty, and who are very likely to be 
wicked persons when they are grown up. This is true ; 
but it is no good reason why you should be naughty and 
wicked. It is rather a reason why you should be as good 
a child as you possibly can ; and I do earnestly hope that 



LETTEIi XLVJII. 155 

you will love what is good, and do what is right. Some 
children are naughty from want of instruction ; but you 
must remember that you have had instruction, and if you 
behave ill it will not be for want of knowing your duty. 
Ill conduct in you will be the more sinful on account of 
the good instruction you have had. Jesus Christ has 
said, '^ That servant which knew his Lord's will, and pre- 
pared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall 
be beaten with many stripes ; for unto whomsoever much 
is given, of him shall be much required." You cannot 
be happy in this world, nor in the world to come, if you 
are wicked ; and I entreat you to remember, that with- 
out holiness no man can see the Lord. 

Finally, my child, it is my prayer, in submission to 
God's will, that your life and health may be preserved ; 
that you may live to a good old age, and be prospered in 
the world ; but my prayer especially is, that you may be 
so pious, worthy, and useful a person, that all acquainted 
with you may have reason to love and esteem you ; and, 
when at length you shall die, that they may be comforted 
by the words, '^ Blessed are the dead who die in the 
Lord : they rest from their labors, and their works do 

follow them." 

An Affectionate Father. 



POPULATION OF iVIASSACHUSETTS. 



NUMBER OF PEOPLE IX THE TOWNS AND COUNTIES OF MAi 



SACHUSETTS, IN 1830. 



SUFFOLK. 

Boston 61,392 

Chelsea 770 





62,162 


ESSEX. 




Salisbury 


2,519 


Amesbury 


2,445 


Kewburyport 


6,338 


Newbury 


3,603 


West Newbury 


1,586 


Bradford 


1,856 


Rowley 


2,044 


Haverhill 


3,912 


Andover 


4,540 


Ipswich 


2,951 


Methuen 


2,011 


Topsfield 


1,011 


Boxford 


937 


Middleton 


607 


Saugus 


960 


Lynn 


6,138 


Danvers 


4,228 


Marblehcad 


5,1.50 


Lynnfield 


617 


Salem 


13,886 


Beverly 


4,079 


Hamilton 


743 


Weuliam 


612 


Manchester 


1,238 


Essex 


1,-345 


Gloucester 


7,513 



82,887 



MIDDLESEX. 

Charlestown 8,783 

Medford 1,755 

Maiden 2,010 

Woburn 1,977 

Stoneham 732 

Burlington 446 

Billerica 1,374 

Wilmington 731 

Bedford 685 

Beading North 1,806 

South Beading 1,310 

Tewksbury 1,527 

Lexington 1,541 
West Cambridge 1,230 

Concord 2,017 

Lincoln 709 

Sudbury 1,424 

Stow 1,221 

Boxborough 474 

Acton 1,128 

iMarlborough 2,074 

Cambridge 6,071 

Brighton 972 

Watertown 1,641 

Waltham 1,857 

Newton 2,377 

Weston 1,091 

East Sudbury • 944 

Framingham 2,313 

Natick 890 

Sherl)urnc 900 

Ilolliston 1,.304 

Hopkinton 1,800 



Grolon 1,925 

Littleton 947 

Carlisle 566 

Chelmsford 1,387 

Lowell 6,474 

Dracut 1,615 

Westford 1,329 

Tyngsborough 822 

Dunstable 593 

Shirley 991 

Peppcrell 1,440 

Townsend 1,506 

Ashby 1,240 



77,968 
PLYMOUTH. 

Hanson 1,030 

Hingham 3,357 

Hull 193 

Scituatc 3,470 

Hanover 1,300 

Pembroke 1,324 

:Marshlield 1,563 

Duxbury 2,705 

Kingston 1 ,322 

Plymouth 4,751 

Middleborough 5,008 

Rochester 3,556 . 

Wareham 1,885 

Carver 970 

Pivmpton 920 

Halifax 708 

Bridgewater 1,855 

North Bridewater 1,953 
(156) 



POPULATION OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



157 



West Bridfrewater 1,042 


Dartmoutli 


3,867 


Athol 


1,325 


East do 


1 653 






Phillipston 
Gardner 


932 
1,028 


Abington 


2',42.3 




49,474 






BARNSTABLE. 


Paxton 








597 




42,993 


Sandwich 


3,367 


Leicester 


1,782 


NORFOLK 


. 


Barnstable 


3,975 


Spencer 


1,018 


Sharon 


1,024 


Yarmouth 


2,251 


Brookfield 


2,342 


Stoughton 


1,591 


Falmouth 


2,548 


Western 


1,189 


Walpolc 


1,442 


Eastham 


966 


Dudley 


2,155 


Foxborougli 


1,168 


Provincetown 


1,710 


North Brookfield 


. 1,241 


Franklin 


1,662 


Dennis 


2,317 


Sturl)ridge 


1,688 


Wrentham 


2,765 


Truro 


1,.549 


Charlton 


2,173 


jNIedway 


1,766 


AYelltleet 


2,044 


Oakham 


1,010 


Bellingiiam 


1,101 


Orleans 


1,799 


Hardwick 


1,885 


Dorehester 


4,064 


Chatham 


2,134 


New Braintree 


825 


Milton 


1,565 


Han^ich 


2,463 


Dana 


623 


Quincy 


2,192 


Brewster 


1,418 


Southbridgc 


1,444 


Braintrec 


1,752 






Barrc 


2,503 


Weymouth 


2,839 




28,525 


Lancaster 


2,016 


Randolph 


2,200 


NANTUCKET 


7,201 


Northborough 


994 


Cohasset 


1,227 


DUKES. 




West Boylston 


1,053 


Roxbury 


5,259 


Edgarto^Mi 


1,509 


IlarA-ard 


1,601 


Brookline 


1,041 


Tisbury 


1,318 


Boylston 


820 


Dedham 


3,117 


Chilmark 


691 


Bolton 


1,258 


Necdham 


1,420 






Berlin 


692 


Dover 


497 




3,518 


Sterling 


1,789 


jNIedfield 


817 


WORCESTER. 


Princeton 


1,345 


Canton 


1,517 


Sutton 


2,186 


Leominster 


1,361 






Douglas 


1,742 


Lunenburg 


1,318 








41,901 


Uxbridge 


2,086 


Westminster 


1,695 


BRISTOL. 




Northbridge 


1,053 


Fitchburgh 


2,179 


Freetown 


1,909 


Mendon 


3,152 


Ashburnham 


1,403 


Troy 


4,157 


Milford 


1,360 


Notown 


69 


Wcstport 
Berkley 


2,778 


rrrnffmi 


1,839 
1,611 






'907 


IMillbury 




84,365 


Taunton 


6,045 


Ward 


690 


IIAMPSIHRE. 


RajTiham 


1,209 


Oxford 


2,034 


Cummington 


1,260 


Easton 


1,756 


Upton 


1,157 


Worthin2:ton 


1,178 


Norton 


1,484 


Slirewsbury 


1,386 


Plainfield 


983 


Attleborough 


3,215 


Wcstborough 


1,438 


Easthampton 


734 


IMansfield 


1,172 


Soutliborough 


1,080 


Southampton 


1,253 


Pawtucket 


1,458 


Worcester 


4,172 


Wcstliam])ton 


907 


Seckonk 


2,134 


Holden 


1,718 


Williamsburgh 


1,225 


Dighton 


1,737 


Rutland 


1,276 


Goshen 


606 


Rehoboth 


2,468 


Hul)l)ardstou 


1,674 


Clicstcrlicld 


1,417 


Somerset 


1,024 


Petersham 


1,695 


Norwicli 


787 


Swanzey 


1,677 


Winchendon 


1,463 


IMiddlefichl 


721 


Fairhavcn 


3,034 


Royalston 


1,494 


Northampton 


3,313 


New Bedford 


7,529 


Teinpleton 


1,551 


Ilatlickl 


893 



14 



158 POPULATION OF MASSACHUSET'IS. 


* 




Hadley 


1,686 


FRANKLIN. 


Mt. Washington 


354 


South Hadley 


1,185 


Ashfield 


1,732 


Boston Corner 


64 


Granby 


1,064 


Buckland 


1,039 


Sandisfield 


1,655 


Belchertown 


2,491 


Barnardston 


945 


New Marlboro' 


1,656 


Enfield 


1,056 


Charlemont 


1,065 


Windsor 


1,042 


Greenwich 


813 


Colerain 


1,877 


Florida 


454 


Ware 


2,045 


Conway 


1,563 


Savoy 


928 


Pelham 


904 


Deerfield 


2,003 


Dalton 


791 


Amherst 


2,631 


Gill 


864 


Zoar 


129 


Prescot 


758 


Greenfield 


1,540 


Gr. Ban-ington 


2,276 







Hawley 


1,037 


Alford 


512 




30,210 


Heath 


1,199 


W. Stockbridge 


1,208 


HAMPDEN 




Leyden 


796 


Williamstov.Ti 


2,137 


West Springfield 


3,272 


Munroe 


265 


Lee 


1,825 


Westfield 


2,941 


Rowe 


716 


Stockbridge 


1,580 


Gnmville 


1,649 


Shelburne 


995 


Beckct 


1,065 


Tolland 


724 


Whately 


1,111 


Lenox 


1,-356 


Blandford 


1,591 


Orange 


880 


Tvringham 


1,351 


Russell 


509 


Wendell 


875 


Otis 


1,014 


Montgomer}- 


579 


Warwick 


1,150 


New Ashford 


285 


Chester 


1,40G 


Leverett 


939 


AVashington 


701 


Southwick 


1,355 


New Salem 


1,889 


Hinsdale 


780 


Holland 


453 


Northfield 


1,7.57 


Pent 


729 


Wales 


665 


Montague 


1,152 


Richmond 


844 


Brimfield 


1,599 


Sunderland 


666 


Plancock 


1,053 


Monson 


2,264 


Shutesbury 


987 


Lanesboro' 


1,192 


Palmer 


1,237 


Erving's Grant 


429 


Cheshire 


1,049 


Ludlow 


1,327 






Adams 


2,648 


Springfield 


6,784 




29,344 


Clarksburg 


315 


T.nncrmonflnw 


1 257 


BERKSHTT?!*^ 






Wilbraham 


2,035 


Pittsfield 
SheiBeld 


3,570 
2,392 




37,825 




31,640 


Egremont 


889 






COUNTIES. MALKS. 


FEM. COL. TOTAL. COUNTIES. MALES. FEM. COL. 


TOTAL. 


PljTTiouth 20,905 


21,678 


410;42,993liDukes 


1,702 


1,768 


48 


3,518 


Suffolk 28,586 


31,693 


1883 62,162: Nantucket 


3,339 


3,584 


279 


7,202 


Essex 39,431 


42,929 


527 82,887i Woi 


•ccster 41,. 54 5 


42,449 


371 


84,365 


Middlesex 38,107 


39,348 


513 77,968 ILan 


ipshire 14,990 


14,995 


225 


30,210 


Norfolk 20,436 


21,296 


169 41,901' Ham )den 1 


5,288 


16,003 


849 


31,640 


Bristol 23,366 


25,178 


930 49,474' Franklin 14,447 


14,765 


132 


29,344 


BamBtable 13,997 


14,363 


165 28,525; Berkshire 18;810 


18,510 


1005 


37,825 


294,449 Males 


; 308, 


5::, Females; 7006 Colored; T 


otal, 61 


0,01^ 


. 



POPULATION OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



159 



CENSUS OF MASSACHUSETTS FOR 18r)5. 



AlpJidbetkaUy arranged hy Toivns and Counties. — Carefully compiled from 
accurate data, December, 1855. 



BARNSTABLE 


CO. 


Barnstable 


4,996 


Brewster 


1,525 


Chatham 


2,560 


Dennis 


3,497 


Eastham 


808 


Falmouth 


2,613 


Harwich 


3,699 


Orleans 


1,754 


Provincetown 


3,096 


Sandwich 


4,495 


Truro 


1,917 


Wellflcet 


2,325 


Yarmouth 


2,592 


BERKSHIRE CO. 


Adams 


6,980 


Alford 


526 


Becket 


1,472 


Cheshire 


1,532 


Clarksburg 


424 


Dalton 


1,064 


Egremont 


992 


Florida 


612 


Gt. Barrington 


3,449 


Hancock 


848 


Hinsdale 


1,361 


Lanesborough 


1,235 


Lee 


4,226 


Lenox 


1,921 


Monterey 


823 


Mt. Washington 


344 


New Ashford 


195 


New Marlboro' 


1,647 


Otis 


1,018 


Peru 


487 


Pittsfield 


6,501 


Richmond 


970 


Sandislield 


1,615 


Savoy 


919 


Sheffield 


2,624 


Stockbridge 


2,058 



Tvringham 710 

Washington 1,068 

W. Stockbridge 1,736 

Williamstown 2,529 

Windsor 905 

BRISTOL CO. 

Attleborough 5,451 

Berkeley 924 

Dartmouth 3,658 

Dighton 1,729 

Easton 2,748 

Fairhaven 4,693 

Fall River (city) 12,680 

Freetown 1,585 

Mansfield 2,119 

N.Bedford (city) 20,389 

Norton ' 1,894 

Pawtucket 4,132 

Raynham 1,634 

Rehoboth 2,107 

Seekonk 2,304 

Somerset 1,339 

Swanzey 1,467 

Taunton (citv) 13,750 

AVestport ' 2,822 

DUKES CO. 

Chilraark 676 

Edgartown 1,827 

Tisbury 1,898 

ESSEX CO. 

Amesbury 3,585 

Andover 4,840 

Beverly 5,944 

Boxford 996 

Bradford 1,372 

Danvers 4,008 

Essex 1,668 

Georgetown 2,042 

Gloucester 8,800 

Groveland 1,367 

Hamilton 907 



Haverhill 7,932 

Ipswich 3,416 
Lawrence (city) 16,114 

Lynn (city) 15,703 

Lynnfield 884 

Manchester 1,878 

Marblehead 6,933" 

INIethuen 2,584 

Middleton 880 

Nahant 270 

Newbury 1 ,484 
Newburyport(cit) 13,380 

North Andover 2,228 

Rockport 3,515 

Rowley 1,215 

Salem (city) 20,934 

Saugus 1,789 

South Danvers 5,431 

Swampscot 1,335 

Topsfield 1,239 

Wenham 1,073 

W. Newbury 2,098 

FRANKLIN CO. 

Ashfield 1,342 

Bernardston 908 

Buckland 1,609 

Charlemont 1,113 

Coleraine 1,604 

Conway 1,784 

Deerfield 2,776 

Erving 471 

Gill 732 

Greenfield 2,955 

Hawlcv 774 

Heath' 743 

Leverett 983 

Leydcn 653 

Monroe 217 

Montague 1,509 

New Salem 1,221 

Northfield 1,952 



160 



POPULATION OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



Orange 1,753 

Rowe 601 

Shclbiirne 1,401 

Shutesburv 943 

Sunderland 839 

Wan^^ck 1,002 

Wendell 738 

Whately 1,053 

HAMPDEN CO. 

AgaAvam 1,563 

Biandford 1,271 

Brimfield 1,342 

Chester 1,255 

Chicopee 7,581 

Granville 1,316 

Holland 393 

Holyoke 4,639 

Lonirmeadow 1,348 

Ludlow 1,191 

Monson 2,942 

Montgomery 413 

Palmer 4,012 

Russell 677 

South wick 1,129 
Springfield (citv) 13,780 

Tolland ' 608 

Wales 713 

Westfield 4,575 

W. Springfield 2,090 

Wilbraham 2,037 

HAMrSHlRE CO. 

Amherst 2,937 

Belchertown 2,697 

Chestei-field 960 

Cummington 1 ,004 

Easthampton 1,396 

Enfield 1,033 

Goshen 471 

Granby 964 

Greenwich 803 

Hadlev 1,928 

Hatfield 1,162 

Huntington 1,172 

Middlefield 677 

Northampton 5,819 

Pclhara 747 

Plainfield 653 

Prescott 643 

South Hadley 2,160 



Southampton 1,156 

Ware 3,498 

Westhampton 670 

Williamsburg 1,831 

AVorthington 1,112 

MIDDLESEX CO. 

Acton 1,680 

Ashbv 1,176 

Ashland 1,287 

Bedford 819 

Billerica 1,772 

Boxborough 414 

Brighton 2,894 

Burlington 565 
Cambridge (city) 20,473 

Carlisle 630 
Charlestown(cit. )21 ,742 

Chelmsford 2,140 

Concord 2,250 

Dracut 1,974 

Dunstable 533 

Framingham 4,670 

Groton 2,745 

Holliston 2,894 

Hopkinton 3,934 

Lexington 2,549 

Lincoln 721 

Littleton 988 

Lowell (city) 37,553 

Maiden ' 4,592 

IMarlborough 4,288 

Medford 4,605 

Melrose 1,976 

Natick 4,138 

North Reading 1 ,050 

Pepperell 1,764 

Reading 2,522 

Sherbom 1,071 

Shirley 1,479 

Somerville 5,806 

South Reading 2,668 

Stoneham 2,518 

Stow 1,485 

Sudburv • 1,673 

Tewksburv 1,722 

Townsend 2,096 

Tyngsborougli 7 1 4 

Waltliam 6,049 

Watcrtown 3,493 



Way land 


1,170 


W. "Cambridge 


2,670 


Westford 


1,586 


Weston 


1,206 


Wilmington 


958 


Winchester 


1,801 


Woburn 


5,450 


NANTUCKET 


CO. 


Nantucket 


8,064 


NORFOLK CO. 


Bellingham 


1,413 


Braintree 


3,472 


Brookline 


3,740 


Canton 


3,115 


Cohasset 


1,924 


Dedham 


5,440 


Dorchester 


8,363 


DoA-er 


747 


Foxborough 


2,570 


Franklin 


2,045 


ISIedfield 


985 


jNIedway 


3,230 


Milton ' 


2,656 


Needham 


2,401 


Quincy 


6,500 


Randolph 


5,529 


Roxbury (city) 


18,699 


Sharon ' 


1,331 


Stoughton 


4,370 


Walpole 


1,935 


W. RoxbuiT 


4,813 


Weymouth ' 


6,.530 


Wrentham 


3,241 


PLYMOUTH 


CO. 


Abington 


6,927 


Bridgewater 


3,363 


Carver 


1,211 


Duxbury 


2,622 


E. Bridgewater 


2,935 


Halifax 


788 


Hanover 


1,680 


Hanson 


1,231 


Ilingham 


4,256 


Hull 


292 


Kingston 


1,571 


LakeviUe 


1,188 


Marion 


980 


^lai'shfield 


1,876 


Middlcborough 


4,324 



POPULATION OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



161 



N. Bridgewatei 5,508 

rcmbroke 1,500 

Plymouth 6,486 

Plymptou 1,000 

Rochester 3,048 

Scituate 2,271 

South Scituate 1,816 

Wareham 3/246 
W. Bridge water 1,734 

SUFFOLK CO. 

Boston (city) 160,508 

Chelsea 10,151 

North Chelsea 793 

Winthrop 366 

WORCESTER CO. 

Ashbuniham 2,211 

Athol 2,395 

Auburn 885 

Barre 2,781 

Berlin 9" 8 

Blackstone 5,353 

Bolton 1,258 

Boylston 835 

Brookfield 2,007 

Charlton 2,051 



Clinton 

Dana 

Douglas 

Dudley 

Fitchburg 

Gardner 

Grafton 

Hardwick 

Harvard 

Holden 

Hubbardston 

Lancaster 

Leicester 

Leominster 

Lunenburg 

Mendon 

:Milford 

Millbury 

New Braintrec 

Northborough 

Northbridge 

N. Brookfield 

Oakham 

Oxford 

Paxton 



3,644 
824 
2,320 
1,520 
0,442 
2,183 
4,409 
1,535 
1,532 
2,114 
1,744 
1,725 
2,589 
3,202 
1,225 
1,382 
7,488 
3,286 
776 
1,602 
2,104 
2,307 
1,061 
2,808 
796 



Petersham 

Phillipston 

Princeton 

Royalston 

Rutland 

Shrewsbury 

Southborough 

Southbridge 

Spencer 

Sterling 

Sturbridgc 

Sutton 

Templeton 

"Upton 

Uxbridge 

Warren 

Webster 

Westborough 

W. Boylston 

W. Brookfield 

Westminster 

Winchendon 

Worcester (city 



1,5.53 
799 
1,317 
1,469 
1,101 
1,636 
1,604 
3,429 
2,527 
1,838 
2,187 
2,718 
2,618 
2,036 
3,068 
1,793 
2,727 
2,478 
2,308 
1,374 
1,980 
2,747 
) 22,284 



RECAPITULATION BY COUNTIES. 



Barnstable 
Berkshire 
Bristol 
Dukes 

Essex 



35,877 

52,791 

87,425 

4,401 

147.844 



Franklin 

Hampden 

Hampshire 

Middlesex 

Nantucket 



31,636 

.54,875 

35,493 

186,9.53 

8,064 



Norfolk 
Plymouth 
Suffolk 
Worcester 

Total, 



95,049 

61,8.53 

171,818 

148,963 

1,123,042 



QUESTIONS IN REVIEW. 



How long and how wide is Massachusetts ? 

Is the length of Massachusetts north and south, or east and west ? 

Which way is the width of Massachusetts ? 

In what part of Massachusetts is its greatest width ? 

On what side is its greatest length 1 

How much is its greatest length ? 

How much is its greatest width 1 

How is Massachusetts bounded ? 

Into how many counties is it divided ? 

Tell how each county is bounded, beginning with the most easterly. 

How is Barnstable county bounded ? 

How is Nantucket ? Duke's ? Plymouth ? Bristol ? Norfolk ? Suffolk ? 
Essex ? Middlesex ? Worcester ? Hampden ? Hampshire 1 Franklin ? 
Berkshire 1 

In order to tell these boundaries, look at the map. 

AVhat are the two largest rivers in Massachusetts ? 

Which is the largest of the two ? 

In what part of the State is the Merrimack ? In what part is the Connecti- 
cut? Wliich way does the INIcrrimack run in IMassachu setts ? Which way 
does the Connecticut run ? Which Avay does Concord river run ? Nashua ? 
Charles ? Taunton river 1 Blackstone 1 Chicopee ? Miller's river ? Dcor- 
field river ? Westfield river ? Housatonic ? Hoosick ? 

To tell which way the rivers nm, look at the map. 

Which is the highest mountain in the State ? Where is it ? How higli is it ? 
Where is Saddle Mountain ? Where is Mount Tom ? Mount Holyoke ? 
Mount Toby ? "Wliich of them are east of Connecticut river ? What is 
said of their height 1 

Which way is Wachuset from Boston ? 

(162) 



QUESTIONS IN REVIEW. 163 

Which way are Mount Tom, Mount Holyoke, and Mount Toby, from Boston 1 

Which way is Saddle Mountain from Mount Holyoke"? 

Which way is each of these mountains from the place you are in 1 

What county is Boston in "? 

Which way is Boston from the town you are in ? 

Which way is Nantucket from Boston '? 

Which way is Gloucester from Boston ? ^ , , 

Which way is Taunton? Haverhiin Dedhami Salem? Concord? 

Which way is Dedham from Worcester? 

Wliich way are Pljonouth and Barnstable from Dedham? 

Wliich way is Provincetown from Boston? From Barnstable ? 

Which way is Martha's Vineyard from Nantucket? Which way is it from 

WhkhTay is it from Boston to Worcester ? From Worcester to Gi^enfield ? 
From Greenfield to Springfield ? From Springfield to Lenox ? From Le- 
nox to Williamstown ? , .. r, . , 

Wliich way is it from the town you are in to each of these towns ? 

The following questions must be answered by studying the number of peo- 
ple in the towns and counties. It will be best for the child to read the answers 
to the teacher, before attempting to commit them to memory : 

How many people in the town you live in ? 

How many in the county? Wliich is the smallest town m your county ^ How 

many people has it ? 

W^hich is the largest town in your county ? How many people ? 

Wliich is the smallest town in the State ? How many people ? 

Give the name of the largest town in each of the counties, with its number of 
people. How many people in Chelsea ? , ^ i 7 

What towns in Essex county have each less than one thousand PCOP ^^ ^ 

What towns in Middlesex county have each less than one thousand people^ 
What in Plymouth county? In Norfolk county ^ ^'' ^'"''f 77XJ^ 
Barnstable county ? In Duke's county ? In Worcester county ? In llamp- 
sl're county? In Hampden county ? In Franklin county ? In Berkshire 

Whirtlns in the several counties have each over two thousand people ? 
What towns in the State have each over four thousand people . 
Whidi county has the fewest people ? 



164 QUESTIONS IN REVIEW. 

How many people has it ? Wliich has the greatest number of people 

How many people has it ? 

How many people in each of the counties ? 

How many colored people in Massachusetts ? 

Wliat is the whole number of people ? 

When was this number ascertained ^ 



THE END. 



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